Radicalism

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈradɪkəlɪz(ə)m/

Definitions

1. A belief system advocating for significant political, social, or economic change through extreme measures or ideas
2. An ideology characterized by fundamental changes to existing structures, often involving a departure from traditional norms or practices
3. A movement that seeks to achieve profound reform in society, frequently using revolutionary tactics to achieve its goals

Etymology: Radicalism is built from "radical" and the suffix "-ism," and its history runs through a single Latin word. "Radical" comes from Late Latin "radicalis," meaning "of or belonging to the root," from Latin "radix," "root." The root sense survives in the botanical and mathematical uses of "radical," while the political sense grew from the idea of going to the root of a problem: a radical reform was one that reached the foundations of an institution rather than patching its surface. The "-ism" ending has its own long journey. It descends from Ancient Greek "-ismos," a noun-forming suffix that Greek used to name actions, states and doctrines, and it passed into Latin and then into French and English. Attached to "radical," it turns a description of a person or idea into the name of a whole system of belief. Radicalism thus names a doctrine built on the root-and-foundation idea, carried into politics.

Synonyms: extremism, fundamentalism, ultraism, revolutionism, leftism

Antonyms: conservatism, moderation, gradualism, liberalism, traditionalism