Bolshevik

or bol·she·vik

[ bohl-shuh-vik, bol-; Russian buhl-shi-vyeek ]

/ ˈboʊl ʃə vɪk, ˈbɒl-; Russian bəl ʃɪˈvyik /

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See synonyms for Bolshevik on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural Bol·she·viks, Bol·she·vik·i

[bohl-shuh-vik-ee, -vee-kee; Russian buhl-shi-vyi-kyee]. /ˈboʊl ʃəˌvɪk i, -ˌvi ki; Russian bəl ʃɪ vyɪˈkyi/.

(in Russia)

a member of the more radical majority of the Social Democratic Party, 1903–17, advocating immediate and forceful seizure of power by the proletariat.
(after 1918) a member of the Russian Communist Party.

(loosely) a member of any Communist party.

(often lowercase)Disparaging. a contemptuous term used to refer to an extreme radical or revolutionary.

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Origin of Bolshevik

1915–20; <Russian bolʾshevík, equivalent to bólʾsh(iĭ) larger, greater (comparative of bolʾshóĭ large; compare bolʾshinstvó majority) + -evik, variant of -ovik noun suffix; cf. Menshevik

historical usage of Bolshevik

When Bolshevik is used to refer to an extreme radical, it implies that such a person has a strongly felt subversive or combative ideology counter to the status quo. The 20-century poets T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound were called literary Bolsheviks by a writer in a London newspaper.

OTHER WORDS FROM Bolshevik

an·ti-Bol·she·vik, noun, adjectivenon-Bol·she·vik, nounpro-Bol·she·vik, adjective, noun

Words nearby Bolshevik

Bolognese, bolometer, bolometric magnitude, boloney, bolo tie, Bolshevik, Bolsheviks, Bolshevism, Bolshevist, Bolshevistic, Bolshevize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Bolshevik in a sentence

After the October 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Russia was too much of a mess to keep fighting Germany.
Russian History Is on Our Side: Putin Will Surely Screw Himself|P. J. O’Rourke|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the war came, and from the Bolshevik revolution to the rise of Hitler, the consequences were horrific.
The Utterly Pointless First World War|Michael F. Bishop|May 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It just doesn't fit with what real people do, in real life, no more than the Bolshevik 'Soviet man' is real.
Why Aren't There More Women Libertarians, Ctd?|Justin Green|January 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The vice president of Iran announces that no Jews were killed during the Bolshevik Revolution.
Are the Iranian Leaders Morons?|David Frum|June 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The Bolshevik Revolution stamped out the city's vibrant and multilingual character.
Great Weekend Reads|The Daily Beast|March 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I do not know how things are in America but in England there has been a ridiculous attempt to suppress Bolshevik propaganda.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
I have seen a lot of Bolshevik propaganda and it is not very convincing stuff.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Witnesses further stated that Bolshevik leaders did not represent Russian working classes, most of them being Jews.
Secret Societies And Subversive Movements|Nesta H. Webster
I know another man, a conservative capitalist of narrow and aggressive temper, whose wife turned into an ardent Bolshevik.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society|Upton Sinclair
Now the King knew nothing of revolution, not even the name, and there was not a bolshevik to be found in all his dominions.
Dry Fish and Wet|Anthon Bernhard Elias Nilsen

British Dictionary definitions for Bolshevik

Bolshevik

/ (ˈbɒlʃɪvɪk) /

noun plural -viks or -viki (-ˈviːkɪ)

(formerly) a Russian CommunistCompare Menshevik

any Communist

(often not capital) jocular, derogatory any political radical, esp a revolutionary

Derived forms of Bolshevik

Bolshevism, nounBolshevist, adjective, nounBolshevistic, adjective

Word Origin for Bolshevik

C20: from Russian Bol'shevik majority, from bol'shoi great; from the fact that this group formed a majority of the Russian Social Democratic Party in 1903

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012