of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of a revolution, or a sudden, complete, or marked change.
a revolutionary junta.
radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles, etc..
a revolutionary discovery.
(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.
relating to or characteristic of a revolution
advocating or engaged in revolution
radically new or different
a revolutionary method of making plastics
rotating or revolving
of or relating to the conflict or period of the War of American Independence (1775–83)
of or relating to any of various other Revolutions, esp the Russian Revolution (1917) or the French Revolution (1789)
First recorded in 1765–75; revolution + -ary
A revolutionary person fearlessly advocates radical change. Revolutionary people and ideas challenge the status quo and might be violent or willing to upset the natural order to achieve their goals. Like the word revolve, it's all about turning things around. Revolutionary leaders want to change the world by any means necessary. Before he was the coolest face on a T-shirt, Che Guevara was ready to die for change in South America (and in fact, he did). You don't need to be violent to be revolutionary, just ask Gandhi and Rev. Martin Luther King. You don't even need to be political. Alexander McQueen, John Lennon, and Picasso could tell you that.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There are serious fair trial and due process violations in these cases, and they are being rammed through the revolutionary courts and fast-tracked.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
This was true in the revolutionary era, and it remains so today.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
It’s revolutionary because it’s empathetic without an agenda.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
That’s because Guttmann changed the shape of modern Brazilian soccer — and changed the sport forever — when he imported the revolutionary 4-2-4 system from Hungary to Sao Paulo in 1957.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
The political dialogue within the highest echelon of the revolutionary generation was a decade-long shouting match.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
