Skip to content

radical

/ˈɹædɪkəl/noun, adjective3 syllables

Radical means: (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed.

Synonyms for radical23

noun, as in (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed

root, root word, base, stem, theme

noun, as in (chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule

group, chemical group

noun, as in an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule

free radical

adjective, as in (used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm

extremist, ultra, immoderate

adjective, as in markedly new or introducing radical change

revolutionary, new

adjective, as in arising from or going to the root or source

basic

adjective, as in especially of leaves; located at the base of a plant or stem; especially arising directly from the root or rootstock or a root-like stem

basal

also used for radical

fundamental, primitive, rad, Jacobin, Jacobinic, Jacobinical, semantophore, component

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of radical

cauline

What does radical mean?11

noun

1

(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed“thematic vowels are part of the stem”

2

(chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule

3

an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule“in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells”

4

a person who has radical ideas or opinions

5

(mathematics) a quantity expressed as the root of another quantity

6

a character conveying the lexical meaning of a logogram

adjective

1

(used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm“extremist political views”

2

markedly new or introducing radical change“a revolutionary discovery”

3

arising from or going to the root or source“a radical flaw in the plan”

4

especially of leaves; located at the base of a plant or stem; especially arising directly from the root or rootstock or a root-like stem“basal placentation”

5

of or relating to or constituting a linguistic root“a radical verb form”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Radical in a sentence

  • For the world to be a better place, radical changes must be made.Ergulis
  • He is very progressive, not to say radical.unknown
  • Is it radicalization if you know you're being radical?DJ_Saidez
  • You'd better leave off such a radical idea.unknown
  • A radical disarmament treaty prohibits all armaments and armed forces.CM
  • The government watched the activities of radical groups carefully.CM
  • His ideas are too radical to be acceptable to most people.CM
  • She has a very radical opinion about the problem.unknown

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of radical

as a noun

plural
radicals