radicalize

[ rad-i-kuh-lahyz ]

/ ˈræd ɪ kəˌlaɪz /

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verb (used with object), rad·i·cal·ized, rad·i·cal·iz·ing.

to make radical or more radical, as in politics: young people who are being radicalized by extremist philosophies.

verb (used without object), rad·i·cal·ized, rad·i·cal·iz·ing.

to become radical or more radical: The regime has increasingly radicalized since the coup.

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Also especially British, rad·i·cal·ise .

Origin of radicalize

First recorded in 1815–20; radical + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM radicalize

rad·i·cal·i·za·tion [rad-i-kuh-luh-zey-shuhn], /ˌræd ɪ kə ləˈzeɪ ʃən/, noun

Words nearby radicalize

radical chic, radical empiricism, radical expression, radicalism, radicalization, radicalize, radical left, radically, radical mastectomy, radical right, radical sign

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use radicalize in a sentence

There’s a clear possibility that groups that are usually more mainstream could be radicalized.
Why Militias Are So Hard To Stop|Kaleigh Rogers|May 18, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
An increasingly radicalized, weaponized, and fascist entity that is actively hostile to the majority and our democracy.
The GOP’s New Heroes Are All Killers, Kooks, and Creeps|Wajahat Ali|May 13, 2021|The Daily Beast
For years, Facebook allowed the proliferation of QAnon, an extremist ideology that has radicalized its followers, even though perpetrators of several violent acts had cited such beliefs as a motivation for their crimes.
Civil rights groups flagged dozens of anti-Muslim pages and groups to Facebook that stayed up, lawsuit alleges|Elizabeth Dwoskin|April 8, 2021|Washington Post
Misinformation experts have argued YouTube helps radicalize people by using algorithms to suggest more videos on the same topic to people who watch extremist content.
Big tech CEOs face lawmakers in House hearing on social media’s role in extremism, misinformation|Gerrit De Vynck, Cat Zakrzewski, Elizabeth Dwoskin, Rachel Lerman|March 25, 2021|Washington Post

She was also one of the celebrities targeted by adherents of QAnon, the sprawling set of false claims that have coalesced into an extremist ideology radicalizing its followers.
Chrissy Teigen quits Twitter, saying it ‘no longer serves me as positively’|Travis Andrews|March 25, 2021|Washington Post
Movements radicalize when their members become unable to have ordinary interactions with people different from themselves.
Atheist Philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Guide to Converting Believers|Michael Schulson|November 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
What seems to have upset him the most was watching Alessa and Almonte radicalize a local teenager he calls “a regular street kid.”
NYPD on the Real ‘Enemies Within’: Going Undercover With Jihadis|Michael Daly|September 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“This is scary; brutal methods will radicalize a larger number of women,” Sokirianskaya said.
Russia’s Female Menaces|Anna Nemtsova|September 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Trying to hold back history and peaceful change may radicalize the situation.
Egypt's President Mubarak Plays With Fire|Bruce Riedel|February 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
American universities seem to radicalize more middle-class Arabs than did their upbringing in the Middle East.
Maybe We Shouldn't Try KSM|Richard Miniter|March 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for radicalize

radicalize

radicalise

/ (ˈrædɪkəˌlaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to make (a person) more radical

Derived forms of radicalize

radicalization or radicalisation, noun

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