Jacobins

Cultural  

1. An extreme radical party during the French Revolution named for the place where its founders first met, a convent of Jacobin friars. It was led by Robespierre.

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In general, a member of an extremist or radical group is often called a “Jacobin.”

Example Sentences

The term “Thermidorian,” central in the book, points to that period in the French Revolution following the toppling of the radical Jacobins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

The currency was primarily supported by a political group known as the Jacobins, a party whose power waned throughout the revolution.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

The Jacobins sought to end the reign of King Louis XVI and establish a republic to replace the French monarchy.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

With France’s increasing radicalism, anticlericalism, and disorder, it seemed obvious to Morse that the French Jacobins, the political faction that seized control of the nation in 1792, were simply Illuminati by another name.

From Slate • Oct. 24, 2022

The Jacobins perpetuated in a new form the old centralization of power to which France was accustomed.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various