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• revolutionary
  revolutionary

  adjective

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

  adjective

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

revolutionary

American  

[rev-uh-loo-shuh-ner-ee] / ˌrɛv əˈlu ʃəˌnɛr i /

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.

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noun

• revolutionaries
  plural

1. a revolutionist.

revolutionary ¹ British  

/ ˌrɛvəˈluːʃənərɪ /

noun

1. a person who advocates or engages in revolution

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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 British  

/ 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)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• revolutionaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of revolutionary

First recorded in 1765–75; revolution + -ary

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Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

revolutionary Revolutionary revolutionaries

Le Ngoc Mai Uyen was a frequent visitor to the park named after her grandmother, revolutionary fighter Le Thi Rieng, before she realised her relative's body may be buried there.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

It follows the ‘70s and ‘80s East L.A. revolutionary art group Asco and the next generation of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Robert Briscoe, who was both a celebrated Irish revolutionary and an Orthodox Jew, became lord mayor of Dublin in the 1950s.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

The self-proclaimed revolutionary communist has since sent messages to supporters describing himself as a "prisoner of war".

From BBC ● Sep. 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

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a ship hit naval mines and sank while passing through what they called an "unauthorised" route in the Strait of Hormuz.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Her father, a military commander, is killed by the British Army during the French Revolutionary Wars of the late 18th century, and her mother dies during childbirth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The Isfahan Revolutionary Court dismissed his application to appeal and relatives were summoned for a final meeting.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

For a decade, the Revolutionary Guard used small fishing boats, known as dhows, to smuggle small arms, drone components and missiles out of Iran to the Houthis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

It would only be a matter of time before he also became the secret spymaster of the Revolutionary War.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

But traditionally such groups prompt indignation among revolutionaries who insist they will not be forced out by their critics in Miami.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

At the center of Ms. Pearsall’s book is the concept of freedom in its many forms, as envisioned and advanced by American revolutionaries but preceded, inspired and refracted by others caught up in the war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Ramiro Valdés was one of the last surviving revolutionaries who took power with the Castro brothers in 1959.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

“O Canada” is as soaring as “God Save the King,” while revolutionaries across the world have chanted “La Marseillaise” for centuries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

It is Lieutenant Rojas’s mission to reshape them into revolutionaries.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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Related Words

• contemporary
• innovative
• modern
• radical

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