extremist

extremist — noun

1. a person whose views on politics or religion are far outside what most people fi

1.nounB2
Definition

a person whose views on politics or religion are far outside what most people find acceptable, and who may support violent or illegal actions to advance them.

Example

The police arrested three extremists who were planning to attack the city hall.

collocation: arrested extremists

Adaeze left the group after it became run by extremists who called for violence.

noun + who-clause

Common collocations
  • political extremist
  • religious extremist
  • right-wing extremist
  • left-wing extremist
  • violent extremist
  • extremist leader
Synonyms
  • radical

    broader term — a radical seeks fundamental change but may not support violence

  • fanatic

    emphasizes obsessive enthusiasm rather than the content of beliefs

  • militant

    stresses the use of aggressive methods, not necessarily extreme views

Antonyms
  • moderate

    a person with balanced, middle-of-the-road views

Grammar Patterns

extremist + who/that clause

extremist + in/from + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often carries a strongly negative meaning. Can be modified by a prepositional phrase (e.g. 'extremists in the movement') or a relative clause ('extremists who reject compromise'). Frequently appears in news and political discussions.

Common Mistakes

The protester was an extremist for wanting better wages.
The protester was an extremist because he wanted to overthrow the government.
'extremist' is too strong for normal demands; it implies beliefs far outside accepted norms.

extremist — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Extremist, radical, fanatic, and militant all describe people with strong convictions, but they differ in scope and connotation. Extremist focuses on beliefs that most people find unreasonable or unacceptable, and often implies support for unlawful actions — it carries the strongest negative judgment. Radical is broader: it describes someone who wants fundamental change to a system, and can be positive (e.g. a radical reformer) without the violent connotation of extremist. Fanatic emphasizes obsessive enthusiasm or devotion rather than the content of beliefs — a sports fanatic is not an extremist. Militant stresses the use of active, sometimes aggressive methods rather than the extremity of the views — a militant union leader may be fighting for fair wages, not holding extreme beliefs. In short: extremist = unacceptable beliefs + possible violence; radical = seeks deep change; fanatic = obsessive devotion; militant = aggressive methods.

extremist ↗radical ↗fanaticmilitant ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • political extremist
  • religious extremist
  • right-wing extremist

Phrases

  • extremist group
  • extremist ideology
  • extremist violence
  • extremist views
  • extremist propaganda

Prepositions

  • extremist in
  • extremist from

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'extremist' comes from the Latin 'extremus', meaning 'outermost' or 'farthest'. It entered English through French 'extrême' (meaning 'extreme') combined with the suffix '-ist', which indicates a person who holds a particular set of beliefs. The term became common in political and religious contexts in the 1800s to describe people whose positions were at the farthest ends of the spectrum.