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.
India’s core share offerings of banks and domestic-facing consumer companies are radically out of tune with the global rush into AI-related tech.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
First, the nature of war has changed and is changing much faster and more radically than most observers—and most of the world’s militaries—yet understand.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
As Hollywood grapples with rapid technological change, a growing number of filmmakers and companies in Southern California are using AI tools to radically rethink how films and TV shows are made.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Implementing a "mollifier layer," which smoothed the signal before measuring it, radically diminished both the noisiness and the power consumption scaling.
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
I very quickly had to acclimatize myself to a world radically different from the one I had left.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
