radically
Americanadjective
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with regard to origin or root.
-
in a complete or basic manner; thoroughly; fundamentally.
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of radically
Explanation
The adverb radically is a great way to say "in an extreme way." When your formerly long-haired friend shows up at work with a crew cut, you could say that she looks radically different. Use radically to describe things that are done in a big way, particularly a change or an extreme position. For example, the government in your state might change radically after an important election. You'll often see the phrase "radically different" used to mean a change that's enormous, possibly even transforming. Though the root of radically, radical, originally meant "root of a word," it came to mean "far-reaching, innovative, or extreme," especially when it describes political views.
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.
Radically reducing what we buy and throw away can improve our carbon footprint, but it can be time-consuming and difficult.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2023
Radically Accepted: I gave “Secret Mean Girl” a lot of credit for admitting to her own unhealthy thought patterns.
From Washington Post • Jan. 17, 2021
He said he was influenced by William N. Thorndike’s 2012 book, “The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success,” a favorite among that crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 6, 2018
Radically new ideas such as Freud’s theory of the unconscious, couldn’t have emerged anywhere or anytime.
From Slate • Feb. 9, 2016
Radically several is from the verb sever: it is now used only with plural nouns.
From Milton's Comus by Bell, William
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.
