Bolshevik

or bol·she·vik

[ bohl-shuh-vik, bol-; Russian buhl-shi-vyeek ]

noun

, plural Bol·she·viks, Bol·she·vik·i [bohl, -sh, uh, -vik-ee, -vee-kee, b, uh, l-shi-vyi-, kyee].

1. (in Russia)
   1. a member of the more radical majority of the Social Democratic Party, 1903–17, advocating immediate and forceful seizure of power by the proletariat.
   2. (after 1918) a member of the Russian Communist Party.
2. (loosely) a member of any Communist party.
3. (often lowercase) Disparaging. a contemptuous term used to refer to an extreme radical or revolutionary.

Bolshevik

/ ˈbɒlʃɪvɪk /

noun

1. (formerly) a Russian Communist Compare Menshevik
2. any Communist
3. humorous.
   often not capital any political radical, esp a revolutionary

Derived Forms

• ˈBolsheˌvism, noun
• ˈBolshevist, adjectivenoun
• ˌBolsheˈvistic, adjective

Other Words From

• anti-Bolshe·vik noun adjective
• non-Bolshe·vik noun
• pro-Bolshe·vik adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bolshevik¹

1915–20; < Russian bolʾshevík, equivalent to bólʾsh ( iĭ ) larger, greater (comparative of bolʾshóĭ large; compare bolʾshinstvó majority) + -evik, variant of -ovik noun suffix; Menshevik

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bolshevik¹

C20: from Russian Bol'shevik majority, from bol'shoi great; from the fact that this group formed a majority of the Russian Social Democratic Party in 1903

Example Sentences

Leadership values change, but being placed under permanent house arrest by the Bolsheviks at the luxury Hotel Metropol in “A Gentleman in Moscow” doesn’t stop Alexander from dressing the aristocratic part.

From Los Angeles Times

In the years after Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, many Russian Jews supported and participated in the country that became known as the Soviet Union.

From Los Angeles Times

As ill-will from the Allies' betrayal at Versailles festered, activists turned away from Western liberal democracies and looked instead to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia as a source of inspiration for the future.

From Salon

The gold was confiscated after the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia in 1917.

From Seattle Times

Or at least nothing short of a full-on Bolshevik Revolution seizure of power, which is not a scenario Lessig and co-author Matthew Seligman entertain in their new book "How to Steal a Presidential Election."

From Salon