bolshevik
bolshevik Lexical Profile
bolshevik Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A member of the radical Marxist faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party led by Vladimir Lenin that seized power in the October Revolution of 1917 and subsequently founded the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
"In November 1917, the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian Provisional Government in Petrograd."
Any political radical, revolutionary, or extreme left-wing agitator (often used disparagingly in lowercase).
"Conservative critics of the era dismissed the labor union organizers as dangerous bolsheviks."
• adjective
Relating to or characteristic of the Bolsheviks, their Marxist-Leninist ideology, or the Soviet government established after the 1917 Russian Revolution.
"The museum exhibit featured early Bolshevik propaganda posters from the Russian Civil War."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Russian 'bol'shevik', meaning 'a member of the majority', derived from 'bol'she' ('larger' or 'more'). The name originated at the 1903 Second Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, when Vladimir Lenin's radical faction won a temporary majority in a key vote against the more moderate Mensheviks ('members of the minority').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.