radicalism

[ rad-i-kuh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. extreme views or practices, or the tendency to favor them, as in politics or religion; extremism:

   In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of violence.

radicalism

/ ˈrædɪkəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the principles, desires, or practices of political radicals
2. a radical movement, esp in politics
3. the state or nature of being radical, esp in politics

Derived Forms

• ˌradicalˈistically, adverb
• ˌradicalˈistic, adjective

Other Words From

• an·ti·rad·i·cal·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of radicalism¹

First recorded in 1810–20; radical + -ism

Example Sentences

“The thing that was most interesting to me from the very beginning, is what happens when somebody who is at the vanguard of political radicalism in their youth gets older?”

From Los Angeles Times

Suffragists Clara, Elsie and Helena Hill, daughters of a congressman, embraced various forms of radicalism to fight for women’s right to vote.

From Los Angeles Times

The radicalism of the People’s Party is easily obscured by the fact that so many of its early demands were eventually enacted, from an eight-hour workday to free mail delivery to a progressive income tax.

From Slate

This is why Brown University historian Gordon S. Wood, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Radicalism of the American Revolution," told Salon that "I don’t think Washington-Hamilton and Jefferson can be easily compared to the present candidates."

From Salon

His anti-institutional radicalism did not emerge with the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in 2016.

From BBC