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 GOP narrative of Walz’s radicalism — like some Democratic accounts that emphasize his moderation — fails to capture the complexity of his life and political legacy as a congressman and governor.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, their current leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has clearly been influenced by aspects of Iran’s political radicalism and chants “death to America” and “death to Israel” just the way Iran’s clerical leader Ali Khamenei does.

From Salon

The Greens call for sweeping reforms of Britain’s defence and foreign policies but the radicalism is often tempered by some more mainstream positions.

From BBC