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 rev·o·lu·tion·ar·ies.

1. a revolutionist.

Revolutionary

¹

/ 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)

revolutionary

²

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˌrevoˈlutionarily, adverb

Other Words From

• revo·lution·ari·ly adverb
• revo·lution·ari·ness noun
• anti·revo·lution·ary noun plural antirevolutionaries adjective
• nonrev·o·lution·ary adjective noun plural nonrevolutionaries
• post-Rev·o·lution·ary adjective
• prerev·o·lution·ary adjective
• prorev·o·lution·ary adjective
• semi·revo·lution·ary adjective noun plural semirevolutionaries
• ultra·revo·lution·ary adjective noun plural ultrarevolutionaries
• unrev·o·lution·ary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of revolutionary¹

First recorded in 1765–75; revolution + -ary

Example Sentences

These names and their associated scandals have dominated crypto news and buried cryptocurrency and blockchain's potential for revolutionary humanitarian impact.

From Salon

A recent article about the Mirabal sisters noted that they “may not have seemed the most likely revolutionaries,” but clearly, if one pays attention, the opposite is true.

From Los Angeles Times

Liberation theology became particularly controversial when priests who followed a radical strand of liberation theology joined revolutionary movements such as the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, who overthrew the dictatorial government of the Somoza family.

From BBC

Religious conservatives, rejecting the notion of Jesus as the kind of revolutionary described by Barnes and Empsall, have taken great pains to fend off accusations of hypocrisy and siding with the rich and powerful.

From Salon

British computer scientist Professor Demis Hassabis has won a share of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for "revolutionary" work on proteins, the building blocks of life.

From BBC

Related Words

• contemporary
• innovative
• modern
• radical