Extremists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who adopt radical stances and promote drastic measures in pursuit of their beliefs
2. People characterized by their intense commitment to unyielding principles, often resulting in extreme actions or views
3. Those who adhere to highly radical or fanatical opinions and often support severe actions in line with their convictions

Etymology: "Extremists" is the plural of "extremist," and the history of this word is simply the history of two parts joined together. The base is "extreme," which came into English from Latin "extremus," meaning "outermost" or "farthest," the superlative of "exterus," "on the outside." The suffix "-ist" has a longer and more winding path: it passed from Ancient Greek "-istēs," used to form agent nouns for people who practice or follow something, through Latin "-ista" and Old French "-iste" before reaching Middle English. Put together, "extremist" means a person who goes to the outermost edge of a position. The word is formed in English from "extreme" and "-ist," so its meaning follows the sense of the base word: someone who holds views or takes actions at the farthest limit from the centre. Its modern political sense developed from that general idea of being at the furthest point.

Synonyms: radicals, fanatics, zealots, fundamentalists, diehards

Antonyms: moderates, conservatives, liberals, centrist, mainstream