Bolshevik

American  

[bohl-shuh-vik, bol-, buhl-shi-vyeek] / ˈboʊl ʃə vɪk, ˈbɒl-, bəl ʃɪˈvyik /

Or bolshevik

noun

PLURAL

Bolsheviks, Bolsheviki

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)  a contemptuous term used to refer to an extreme radical or revolutionary.

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Bolshevik British  

/ ˈbɒlʃɪvɪk /

noun

1. (formerly) a Russian Communist Compare Menshevik

2. any Communist

3. humorous  (often not capital) any political radical, esp a revolutionary

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Other Word Forms

• Bolshevism noun
• Bolshevist adjective
• Bolshevistic adjective
• anti-Bolshevik noun
• non-Bolshevik noun
• pro-Bolshevik adjective

Etymology

Origin of Bolshevik

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

Example Sentences

He has called the statehood of Ukraine into question, saying the country was a creation of Soviet Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin.

From The Wall Street Journal

Surviving relatives of Tsar Nicholas II also lived there after fleeing to the UK, following the murder of other family members by Bolsheviks in 1918.

From BBC

Born in 1927, a decade after the Bolshevik Revolution, his work was steeped in the traditions of classical ballet.

From BBC

The diplomatic whirlwind that has surrounded US President Donald Trump this week suggests the old Bolshevik might have been onto something.

From BBC

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