revolutionary

[rev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee]

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change.

   a revolutionary junta.

2. radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc..

   a revolutionary discovery.

   Synonyms: unorthodox, drastic, novel, unprecedented

3. (initial capital letter),  of or relating to the American Revolution or to the period contemporaneous with it in U.S. history.

   Revolutionary heroes; Revolutionary weapons.

4. revolving.

noun

plural

revolutionaries 

1. a revolutionist.

revolutionary

¹

/ ˌrɛvəˈluːʃənərɪ /

noun

1. a person who advocates or engages in revolution

adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of a revolution

2. advocating or engaged in revolution

3. radically new or different

   a revolutionary method of making plastics

4. rotating or revolving

Revolutionary

²

/ ˌrɛvəˈluːʃənərɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to the conflict or period of the War of American Independence (1775–83)

2. of or relating to any of various other Revolutions, esp the Russian Revolution (1917) or the French Revolution (1789)

Other Word Forms

• revolutionarily adverb
• revolutionariness noun
• antirevolutionary noun
• nonrevolutionary adjective
• post-Revolutionary adjective
• prerevolutionary adjective
• prorevolutionary adjective
• semirevolutionary adjective
• ultrarevolutionary adjective
• unrevolutionary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of revolutionary¹

First recorded in 1765–75; revolution + -ary

Example Sentences

Though the therapy has been revolutionary for other types of leukaemia, it is less so for acute myeloid leukaemia, Dr Sankaran said.

Read more on BBC

Significant figures in the social and political circles that shaped revolutionary America, the Schuyler sisters found ways to influence the direction of a young country.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Half the American people, Lincoln said, had no direct blood connection to the revolutionaries of 1776.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Completed in 1850, this Parisian library was revolutionary for its use of iron to create soaring and magnificent vaults in a space that is dedicated to reading and is open to the public.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This image of Inez on a steed becomes central both to the movement and to director Leigh Silverman’s production, which finds simple yet striking ways of bringing revolutionary change to life.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• contemporary 
• innovative 
• modern 
• radical