Radical — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈra-di-kəl/ rad·i·cal

Meaning & Definition of Radical

Radical (adjective)

  1. of, relating to, or proceeding from a root
  2. of or growing from the root of a plant
  3. growing from the base of a stem, from a rootlike stem, or from a stem that does not rise above the ground

Radical (noun)

  1. a root part
  2. a basic principle, foundation
  3. root

Radical (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being very far from the center of public opinion

    "the baggy trousers that Amelia Bloomer introduced in the 1850s were considered a radical form of dress for women at the time"

    similar: extreme, extremist, fanatic, rabid, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultra
    related: subversive, violent, wild, reactionary
    opposite: middle-of-the-road, nonrevolutionary, unrevolutionary
    near: conservative, moderate, temperate, conventional, orthodox, traditional, liberal, progressive

  2. not bound by traditional ways or beliefs

    "radical proponents of spelling reform would have every word spelled just the way it sounds"

    similar: broad-minded, liberal, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, unconventional, unorthodox
    related: advanced, contemporary, modern, forbearing, indulgent, large-minded, lenient, permissive, tolerant, extreme, impartial, objective, unbiased
    opposite: conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy, traditional
    near: hard, rigid, strict, doctrinal, dogmatic, bigoted, blinkered, intolerant, narrow-minded, reactionary, unreconstructed

  3. of the very best kind

    "surfing conditions at virtually all of the beaches along the coast were truly radical"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Radical (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who favors rapid and sweeping changes especially in laws and methods of government

    "radicals staged large, violent protests in the hopes of toppling the government"

    similar: crazy, extremist, revolutionary, revolutionist
    related: young Turk, leftist, lefty, red, progressive, reformer, reformist, anarch, anarchist, subversive, agitator, insurgent, insurrectionist, rebel, secessionist, separationist, separatist
    opposite: middle-of-the-roader, moderate
    near: conservative, fuddy-duddy, reactionary, rightist, standpatter, Tory, traditionalist

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Radical

The most common words with a similar meaning to Radical:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
extreme, extremist, fanatic, rabid, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultra, broad-minded, liberal, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, progressive, unconventional, unorthodox, A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dynamite, excellent, fab

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Radical

Words with the opposite meaning of Radical:

middle-of-the-road, nonrevolutionary, unrevolutionary, conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy, traditional, atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched, middle-of-the-roader, moderate

Related Words for Radical

subversive, violent, wild, reactionary, advanced, contemporary, modern, forbearing, indulgent, large-minded, lenient, permissive, tolerant, impartial, objective, unbiased, acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test

Near Antonyms of Radical

temperate, liberal, progressive, hard, rigid, strict, doctrinal, dogmatic, bigoted, blinkered, intolerant, narrow-minded, reactionary, unreconstructed, bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate, fuddy-duddy, rightist, standpatter, Tory, traditionalist

Word Forms of Radical

Derived words: radicalness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Radical

Middle English, from Late Latin radicalis, from Latin radic-, radix root root

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Radical

Words & Phrases Containing Radical

radical chic, radical sign, free radical, trans-exclusionary radical feminist, antiradical

Frequently Asked Questions about Radical

What does "Radical" mean?

"Radical" means of, relating to, or proceeding from a root. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: of, relating to, or proceeding from a root. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Radical"?

Other words for "Radical" include extreme, extremist, fanatic, rabid, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultra and broad-minded. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Radical" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Radical"?

There are 164 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Radical". Common alternatives include extreme, extremist, fanatic, rabid, revolutionary, revolutionist, ultra, broad-minded, liberal and nonconventional.

What is a slang word for "Radical"?

Slang words for "Radical" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Radical"?

Antonyms of "Radical" include middle-of-the-road, nonrevolutionary, unrevolutionary, conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive and old-fashioned. Near antonyms include temperate, liberal, progressive and hard.

How do you use "Radical" in a sentence?

Examples of "Radical" in a sentence: "the baggy trousers that Amelia Bloomer introduced in the 1850s were considered a radical form of dress for women at the time"; "radical proponents of spelling reform would have every word spelled just the way it sounds"; "surfing conditions at virtually all of the beaches along the coast were truly radical".

Is "Radical" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Radical" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Radical" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Radical" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.