extremist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of extremistnext
as in radical
being very far from the center of public opinion their extremist views on religious issues set them apart from the rest of the community

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

extremist

2 of 2

noun

as in revolutionary
a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government extremists wanted to do away with everything, even though they had no thought-out plan for what to do afterwards

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extremist
Adjective
Disciples of this extremist hatred are running for office and winning in select primaries. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2026 Since overthrowing the Assad dynasty, Syria’s new rulers have struggled to exert control across the country and to check extremist groups. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Commercial platforms now provide criminal networks, extremist groups, proxies and hybrid actors with capabilities once reserved for advanced militaries. — Bill Edwards, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Since Musk, the world’s richest person, took over X (then Twitter) in 2022 in a $44B deal, the site has come under constant criticism for promoting extremist content and misinformation. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 July 2026 The West African country of 23 million people has been battered by years-long violence perpetrated by extremist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the militant group Islamic State, as well as government forces often accused of extrajudicial killings. — Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026 Jacob Wagner, a digital research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue — a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to combat extremism — said that Gen Z teenagers are increasingly engaging with extremist content online, something that groups like United Youth seek to capitalize on. — Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 25 June 2026
Noun
Opportunists like the daycare group, which was selling weapons, and extremists — not the hobbyists. — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026 And when Khomeini broke that promise, my father was one of the first to stand up to him and the extremists who hijacked that revolution. — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 2 June 2026 Many of these decisions were made so Netanyahu could retain the support of the far-right extremists keeping him in power and avoid a possible jail sentence on corruption charges. — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 16 June 2026 But, increasingly convinced that Mossadegh was an extremist allied with communism, the Eisenhower administration began to plot his ouster. — Andrew Arsan, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2026 Increasingly, however, that tent seems to have room for radicals and ideological extremists while pushing out Democrats who think independently. — Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 3 June 2026 Also on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel warned that the World Cup matches could be targets for extremists. — ABC News, 11 June 2026 More recently, the Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center — a civil rights nonprofit accused by Republicans of targeting conservatives in its work tracking extremists — with defrauding donors through payments to informants. — James Pollard, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026 More than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were systematically ‌massacred in the East African ⁠nation by Hutu extremists over roughly 100 days from April ⁠to July 1994. — Reuters, NBC news, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremist
  1. radical
  2. revolutionary
  3. extreme
  4. rabid
Adjective
  • That’s what Rebecca Loviconi‘s ‘genre fusion’ feature doc Crime or Rescue will reveal, as the ‘romantic true crime’ story that’s set to hit the doc market follows radical animal activists who unexpectedly fall in love during the filming.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
  • Alfaturk16’s leak locks in a July 22 release date for the new Galaxy Watches, potentially giving Samsung just a few weeks to unveil what could prove to be a radical addition to the company’s wearable portfolio.
    — Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of radical
Noun
  • Good luck with that message in flyover country when the revolutionaries don’t enjoy the advantages of light-turnout primaries.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Many became meeting places for the Founding Fathers and other revolutionaries as tensions with Britain grew.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Adjective
  • The National Weather Service said cool air from the north will push the heat dome, responsible for a heat wave that started midweek, south and west in the coming days, relieving some of the most extreme temperatures in the Northeast.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • The laminate reinforces the glass to create a shatter-resistant barrier, preventing shards of glass from flying out during extreme weather.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of extreme
Adjective
  • The other rabid animals were five bats and one each cat, coyote, skunk and woodchuck.
    — Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 3 July 2026
  • This was a rabid, partisan home-soil advantage that flat-out bullied the squad into surviving.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
Definition of rabid

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Cite this Entry

“Extremist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremist. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of extremist for Spanish Speakers

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