radical
radical Lexical Profile
radical Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.
"The new administration proposed a radical overhaul of the country's tax system."
Advocating or based on thorough or complete political or social change; representing an extreme or progressive section of a political party or movement.
"Her radical views on economic redistribution sparked intense debate among the committee members."
North American Very good, cool, or exciting (used primarily as slang).
"The skateboarder pulled off a radical trick on the half-pipe."
• noun
A person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform; a member of a political party or section of a party pursuing such aims.
"In the nineteenth century, political radicals campaigned tirelessly for universal suffrage."
An atom, molecule, or ion that has at least one unpaired valence electron, making it typically highly reactive.
"Antioxidants help protect cells from damage caused by unstable chemical radicals."
A quantity expressed as the root of another quantity, or the mathematical symbol used to indicate a root.
"Students learned how to simplify algebraic expressions containing radicals."
A graphical component of a Chinese character under which the character is traditionally listed in a dictionary, often serving as a semantic indicator.
"Knowing the water radical makes it much easier to look up unfamiliar Chinese characters related to liquids."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin radicalis ('of or having roots'), derived from Latin radix ('root'). Its political sense of 'going to the root or origin' to effect thorough reform emerged in late 18th-century Britain.