noun
adjective
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Etymology
Origin of extremist
Explanation
Nowadays, we tend to associate the word extremist with "terrorist," and use the two words almost interchangeably to define someone who holds radical political or religious views. An extremist can hold views on any subject: if you believe all little brothers should be banned from their siblings' rooms, or that anyone who roots for a different baseball team should be quarantined, then you, my friend, are an extremist. What tends to unite all extremists is their willingness to act, often violently, to realize their beliefs. Little brothers, watch out.
Vocabulary lists containing extremist
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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President Obama's U.N. Address
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Lagarde has often sought to shape the EU’s policies beyond her core monetary-policy domain, taking stands on issues such as climate change and extremist politics that she views as risks to the continent’s economic future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Nonetheless, the result sent shock waves through Germany, which in the post-war era had so far managed to keep extremist parties at bay.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Niger's government is facing threats on two fronts: extremist militant groups attacking the state, and grievances within its armed forces responsible for fighting them.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
It’s a tragedy when any human life is taken, here or abroad, by a soldier or an extremist.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Vindictiveness, extremist theories and demagogism ought to have no place in arriving at that estimate.
From Right Above Race by Otto Hermann Kahn
Sallay is accused of orchestrating the bombings with Islamist extremists.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The report noted that "mounting evidence" suggested extremists in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf "were aware" the attack had been imminent.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
This came even as three heroic Muslim men gave their lives in May while defending some 240 children at the Islamic Center of San Diego from anti-Muslim extremists.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The activists travelled to Jannatah, near Bethlehem, to build a protective fence around the home of the Faraj family, who have come under pressure from Jewish extremists.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Adams went to his grave claiming that these laws never enjoyed his support, that their chief sponsors were Federalist extremists in the Congress, and that he had signed them grudgingly and reluctantly.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
