radical
pronunciation
How to pronounce radical in British English:
UK [ˈrædɪkl]
How to pronounce radical in American English:
US [ˈrædɪkl]
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- Noun:
- (chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule
- an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule than has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule
- a person who has radical ideas or opinions
- a character conveying the lexical meaning of a logogram
- a sign placed in front of an expression to denote that a root is to be extracted
- (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
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- Adjective:
- (used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm
- markedly new or introducing radical change
- arising from or going to the root
- of or relating to or constituting a linguistic root
- 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
Word Origin
- radical
- radical: [14] Etymologically, radical means ‘of roots’. Its modern political meaning, based on the metaphor of fundamental change, going to the ‘roots’ of things, did not begin to emerge until the 18th century. The word was borrowed from late Latin rādīcālis, a derivative of Latin rādīx ‘root’ (source of English radish [OE] and probably related to root).=> radish, ramify, root
- radical (adj.)
- late 14c., in a medieval philosophical sense, from Late Latin radicalis "of or having roots," from Latin radix (genitive radicis) "root" (see radish). Meaning "going to the origin, essential" is from 1650s. Radical sign in mathematics is from 1680s. Political sense of "reformist" (via notion of "change from the roots") is first recorded 1802 (n.), 1817 (adj.), of the extreme section of the British Liberal party (radical reform had been a current phrase since 1786); meaning "unconventional" is from 1921. U.S. youth slang use is from 1983, from 1970s surfer slang meaning "at the limits of control." Radical chic is attested from 1970; popularized, if not coined, by Tom Wolfe. Radical empiricism coined 1897 by William James (see empiricism).
- radical (n.)
- 1630s, "root part of a word, from radical (adj.) Political sense from 1802; chemical sense from 1816.
Antonym
Example
- 1. The new president is unlikely to make radical changes .
- 2. The government should dare to be radical .
- 3. This requires a radical reshaping of their international footprint .
- 4. Britons are naturally resistant to radical ideas .
- 5. Yet its failure to take radical action does not mean it has remained completely unchanged .