radicality

[ rad-i-kal-i-tee ]

noun

, plural rad·i·cal·i·ties.

1. the quality of being fundamental, drastic, far-reaching, etc.:

   Because of the radicality of the surgery there is a higher risk of complications.

   It is difficult to overstate the radicality of the change I saw in him after a summer at camp.

2. a tendency toward extremism in political ideology, religion, etc.; radicalism:

   A lot of people were put off by the radicality of his so-called documentary, and they called it propaganda.

3. something, such as a concept, practice, character trait, etc., that is fundamental, extreme, or very different from what is generally accepted:

   The essay explores some of the remarkable radicalities and ironies in the work of the famous filmmaker.

Word History and Origins

Origin of radicality¹

First recorded in 1815–25; radical ( def ) + -ity ( def )

Example Sentences

“Framing Agnes” premiered at Sundance last January, where it won the audience and innovator awards in the festival’s Next category, and went on to garner rave reviews; Ms. Magazine praised its “surprisingly gripping format,” while The New Yorker called it “a film of quiet but decisive radicality.”

From New York Times

“Framing Agnes” premiered at Sundance last January, where it won the audience and innovator awards in the festival’s Next category, and went on to garner rave reviews; Ms. Magazine praised its “surprisingly gripping format,” while The New Yorker called it “a film of quiet but decisive radicality.”

From New York Times

That radicality was attached to improvisation and innovation.

From New York Times

But this show, organized with the Tate Modern in London, is big enough — with some 120 paintings, watercolors and drawings — that an even larger sense of Cézanne’s radicality emerges.

From Washington Post

“Many artists in that era were working on conceptual art and radicality, but I have to say that Claude was not part of any movement,” she said in an interview.

From New York Times