revolutionary
Americanadjective
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- unorthodox, drastic, novel, unprecedented
-
(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.
noun
PLURAL
revolutionariesnoun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012adjective
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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
adjective
-
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)
Other Word Forms
- antirevolutionary noun
- nonrevolutionary adjective
- post-Revolutionary adjective
- prerevolutionary adjective
- prorevolutionary adjective
- revolutionarily adverb
- revolutionariness noun
- semirevolutionary adjective
- ultrarevolutionary adjective
- unrevolutionary adjective
Etymology
Origin of revolutionary
First recorded in 1765–75; revolution + -ary
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.
In “One Battle After Another,” his darkly comic action-thriller, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary who has spent years in hiding, raising his teenage daughter and trying to keep his past at bay.
From Los Angeles Times
And artists like Ryan, who have this visionary, revolutionary way of creating, they just kind of feel like guiding lights, diamonds, in this web of us.
From Los Angeles Times
Her subtitle credits Diogenes with a “revolutionary philosophy,” a grand claim that runs counter to recent scholarly treatments.
One is queer, and the other is a political revolutionary.
From Los Angeles Times
He describes Weiner as “a very religious person, and wants to spread the word about Judaism and its traditions. It was kind of revolutionary when you think about it.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
