rev·o·lu·tion·ary
ˌre-və-ˈlü-shə-ˌner-ē 
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting a revolution
revolutionary war
b
: tending to or promoting revolution
c
: constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change
a revolutionary new product
2
capitalized
: of or relating to the American Revolution or to the period in which it occurred
plural revolutionaries
1
: one engaged in a revolution
2
: an advocate or adherent of revolutionary doctrines
Synonyms
Examples of revolutionary in a Sentence
Adjective
a candidate with a lot of crazy, revolutionary ideas that no one seems to be going for
revolutionary forces that were soundly defeated before reaching the capital
Noun
after the collapse of the Russian monarchy, the moderate socialists briefly governed until being overthrown by the Bolshevik revolutionaries
at first the government was not worried about this small band of unarmed revolutionaries
Recent Examples on the Web
Elise Taylor, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2024
The insistence that NFTs and the blockchain were revolutionary and paradigm-shifting ended up insisting upon themselves too much; so that whole thing collapsed, and basically went nowhere.
—Helen Holmes, ARTnews.com, 20 Sep. 2024
Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Pitch: In a marginalized and precarious place of resistance, Somi, an indigenous woman and former revolutionary, defends her ideals of equality and dignity while confronting disillusionment and social injustice.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for revolutionary 
Adjective
For the time, its blobby shape was rather revolutionary: unlike most seats before it, the Saccho chair was completely devoid of rigidity, utterly embracing comfort.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2024
The insistence that NFTs and the blockchain were revolutionary and paradigm-shifting ended up insisting upon themselves too much; so that whole thing collapsed, and basically went nowhere.
—Helen Holmes, ARTnews.com, 20 Sep. 2024
Noun
Like many saints and revolutionaries, Weil was a child of privilege.
—Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Pitch: In a marginalized and precarious place of resistance, Somi, an indigenous woman and former revolutionary, defends her ideals of equality and dignity while confronting disillusionment and social injustice.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for revolutionary
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'revolutionary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near revolutionary
Cite this Entry
“Revolutionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolutionary. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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