'Radical' definitions:
Definition of 'radical'
From: WordNet
adjective
(used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm; "extremist political views"; "radical opinions on education"; "an ultra conservative" [syn: extremist, radical, ultra]
adjective
Markedly new or introducing radical change; "a revolutionary discovery"; "radical political views" [syn: revolutionary, radical]
adjective
Arising from or going to the root or source; "a radical flaw in the plan"
adjective
Of or relating to or constituting a linguistic root; "a radical verb form"
adjective
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; "basal placentation"; "radical leaves" [syn: radical, basal] [ant: cauline]
noun
(chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule [syn: group, radical, chemical group]
noun
An atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule; "in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells" [syn: free radical, radical]
noun
A person who has radical ideas or opinions
noun
(mathematics) a quantity expressed as the root of another quantity
noun
A character conveying the lexical meaning of a logogram
noun
Definition of 'Radical'
From: GCIDE
- Radical \Rad"i*cal\ (r[a^]d"[i^]*kal), n.
- 1. (Philol.) (a) A primitive word; a radix, root, or simple, underived, uncompounded word; an etymon. (b) A primitive letter; a letter that belongs to the radix. [1913 Webster]
- The words we at present make use of, and understand only by common agreement, assume a new air and life in the understanding, when you trace them to their radicals, where you find every word strongly stamped with nature; full of energy, meaning, character, painting, and poetry. --Cleland. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Politics) One who advocates radical changes in government or social institutions, especially such changes as are intended to level class inequalities; -- opposed to conservative. [1913 Webster]
- In politics they [the Independents] were, to use the phrase of their own time, "Root-and-Branch men," or, to use the kindred phrase of our own, Radicals. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]
- 3. (Chem.) (a) A characteristic, essential, and fundamental constituent of any compound; hence, sometimes, an atom. [1913 Webster]
- As a general rule, the metallic atoms are basic radicals, while the nonmetallic atoms are acid radicals. --J. P. Cooke. [1913 Webster] (b) Specifically, a group of two or more atoms, not completely saturated, which are so linked that their union implies certain properties, and are conveniently regarded as playing the part of a single atom; a residue; -- called also a compound radical. Cf. Residue. [1913 Webster]
- 4. (Alg.) A radical quantity. See under Radical, a. [1913 Webster]
- An indicated root of a perfect power of the degree indicated is not a radical but a rational quantity under a radical form. --Davies & Peck (Math. Dict.) [1913 Webster]
- 5. (Anat.) A radical vessel. See under Radical, a. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Radical'
From: GCIDE
- Radical \Rad"i*cal\ (r[a^]d"[i^]*kal), a. [F., fr. L. radicalis having roots, fr. radix, -icis, a root. See Radix.]
- 1. Of or pertaining to the root; proceeding directly from the root. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Hence: Of or pertaining to the root or origin; reaching to the center, to the foundation, to the ultimate sources, to the principles, or the like; original; fundamental; thorough-going; unsparing; extreme; as, radical evils; radical reform; a radical party. [1913 Webster]
- The most determined exertions of that authority, against them, only showed their radical independence. --Burke. [1913 Webster]
- 3. (Bot.) (a) Belonging to, or proceeding from, the root of a plant; as, radical tubers or hairs. (b) Proceeding from a rootlike stem, or one which does not rise above the ground; as, the radical leaves of the dandelion and the sidesaddle flower. [1913 Webster]
- 4. (Philol.) Relating, or belonging, to the root, or ultimate source of derivation; as, a radical verbal form. [1913 Webster]
- 5. (Math.) Of or pertaining to a radix or root; as, a radical quantity; a radical sign. See below. [1913 Webster]
- Radical axis of two circles. (Geom.) See under Axis.
- Radical pitch, the pitch or tone with which the utterance of a syllable begins. --Rush.
- Radical quantity (Alg.), a quantity to which the radical sign is prefixed; specifically, a quantity which is not a perfect power of the degree indicated by the radical sign; a surd.
- Radical sign (Math.), the sign [root] (originally the letter r, the initial of radix, root), placed before any quantity, denoting that its root is to be extracted; thus, [root]a, or [root](a + b). To indicate any other than the square root, a corresponding figure is placed over the sign; thus, [cuberoot]a, indicates the third or cube root of a.
- Radical stress (Elocution), force of utterance falling on the initial part of a syllable or sound.
- Radical vessels (Anat.), minute vessels which originate in the substance of the tissues. [1913 Webster]
- Syn: Primitive; original; natural; underived; fundamental; entire.
- Usage: Radical, Entire. These words are frequently employed as interchangeable in describing some marked alteration in the condition of things. There is, however, an obvious difference between them. A radical cure, reform, etc., is one which goes to the root of the thing in question; and it is entire, in the sense that, by affecting the root, it affects in an appropriate degree the entire body nourished by the root; but it may not be entire in the sense of making a change complete in its nature, as well as in its extent. Hence, we speak of a radical change; a radical improvement; radical differences of opinion; while an entire change, an entire improvement, an entire difference of opinion, might indicate more than was actually intended. A certain change may be both radical and entire, in every sense. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'radical'
From: GCIDE
- Residue \Res"i*due\ (r?z"?-d?), n. [F. r['e]sidu, L. residuum, fr. residuus that is left behind, remaining, fr. residere to remain behind. See Reside, and cf. Residuum.]
- 1. That which remains after a part is taken, separated, removed, or designated; remnant; remainder. [1913 Webster]
- The residue of them will I deliver to the sword. --Jer. xv. 9. [1913 Webster]
- If church power had then prevailed over its victims, not a residue of English liberty would have been saved. --I. Taylor. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Law) That part of a testeator's estate wwhich is not disposed of in his will by particular and special legacies and devises, and which remains after payment of debts and legacies. [1913 Webster]
- 3. (Chem.) That which remains of a molecule after the removal of a portion of its constituents; hence, an atom or group regarded as a portion of a molecule; a moiety or group; -- used as nearly equivalent to radical, but in a more general sense. [1913 Webster +PJC]
- Note: The term radical is sometimes restricted to groups containing carbon, the term residue and moiety being applied to the others. [1913 Webster]
- 4. (Theory of Numbers) Any positive or negative number that differs from a given number by a multiple of a given modulus; thus, if 7 is the modulus, and 9 the given number, the numbers -5, 2, 16, 23, etc., are residues. [1913 Webster]
- Syn: Rest; remainder; remnant; balance; residuum; remains; leavings; relics. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'radical'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- ab ovo,
- aboriginal,
- absolute,
- accidence,
- acid,
- acidity,
- advanced,
- affix,
- affixation,
- agent,
- agitator,
- algorismic,
- algorithmic,
- aliquot,
- alkali,
- alkalinity,
- all-embracing,
- all-encompassing,
- all-inclusive,
- all-out,
- all-pervading,
- alloisomer,
- allomorph,
- anarchist,
- anarchistic,
- anarcho-syndicalist,
- anion,
- antacid,
- arrowhead,
- at the height,
- at the limit,
- atom,
- atomic cluster,
- basal,
- base,
- basement,
- basic,
- basilar,
- basis,
- bearing wall,
- bed,
- bedding,
- bedrock,
- beginning,
- benzene ring,
- biochemical,
- Bolshevik,
- Bolshevist,
- born,
- bottom,
- bound morpheme,
- branched chain,
- broad,
- broad-based,
- broad-minded,
- cantorial side,
- cardinal,
- cataclysmic,
- catastrophic,
- cation,
- central,
- chain,
- character,
- chemical,
- chemical element,
- chromoisomer,
- clean,
- clear,
- closed chain,
- commencement,
- communist,
- complete,
- compound,
- compound radical,
- comprehensive,
- conception,
- congenital,
- conjugation,
- constituent,
- constitutional,
- constitutive,
- consummate,
- copolymer,
- corrective,
- counterclockwise,
- crucial,
- cuneiform,
- cutting,
- cycle,
- decimal,
- declension,
- deep,
- deep-dyed,
- deep-seated,
- demotic character,
- derivation,
- determinative,
- difference of form,
- differential,
- digital,
- dimer,
- downright,
- drastic,
- dyad,
- dyed-in-the-wool,
- egregious,
- element,
- elemental,
- elementary,
- embryonic,
- emendatory,
- enclitic,
- entire,
- essential,
- even,
- exhaustive,
- exponential,
- extreme,
- extreme left-winger,
- extremist,
- extremistic,
- Fabian,
- fanatic,
- fanatical,
- far out,
- figural,
- figurate,
- figurative,
- finite,
- floor,
- flooring,
- fond,
- footing,
- formative,
- foundation,
- foundational,
- fractional,
- free form,
- fundament,
- fundamental,
- furthest,
- generative,
- genesis,
- genetic,
- germinal,
- Gospel side,
- gradualistic,
- grammalogue,
- grass roots,
- greatest,
- ground,
- grounds,
- groundwork,
- gut,
- hardpan,
- head,
- heavy chemicals,
- heptad,
- heterocycle,
- hexad,
- hieratic symbol,
- hieroglyph,
- hieroglyphic,
- hieroglyphics,
- high polymer,
- hiragana,
- homocycle,
- homopolymer,
- hydracid,
- IC analysis,
- ideogram,
- ideograph,
- imaginary,
- immediate constituent analysis,
- immoderate,
- impair,
- impossible,
- in embryo,
- in ovo,
- inception,
- infinite,
- infix,
- infixation,
- inflection,
- inherent,
- inorganic chemical,
- insurgent,
- insurrectionary,
- insurrectionist,
- integral,
- intensive,
- intrinsic,
- ion,
- irrational,
- isomer,
- Jacobin,
- kana,
- katakana,
- Kekule formula,
- larboard,
- lattice,
- left,
- left hand,
- left wing,
- left-hand,
- left-hand side,
- left-wing,
- left-wing extremist,
- left-winger,
- left-wingish,
- leftist,
- levorotatory,
- liberal,
- logarithmic,
- logogram,
- logograph,
- logometric,
- lunatic fringe,
- macromolecule,
- material,
- meliorist,
- melioristic,
- metamer,
- mild radical,
- mildly radical,
- militant,
- molecule,
- monad,
- monomer,
- morph,
- morpheme,
- morphemic analysis,
- morphemics,
- morphology,
- morphophonemics,
- most,
- natural,
- near,
- near side,
- negative,
- neutralizer,
- nigh,
- nihilist,
- nihilistic,
- nonacid,
- numeral,
- numerary,
- numerative,
- numeric,
- octad,
- odd,
- of the essence,
- ogham,
- omnibus,
- omnipresent,
- ordinal,
- organic,
- organic chemical,
- origin,
- original,
- origination,
- out-and-out,
- outright,
- oxyacid,
- pair,
- paradigm,
- parlor Bolshevik,
- parlor pink,
- pavement,
- pentad,
- perfect,
- pervasive,
- phonetic,
- phonetic symbol,
- pictogram,
- pictograph,
- pink,
- pinko,
- plain,
- plumb,
- polymer,
- port,
- port tack,
- portside,
- positive,
- possible,
- prefix,
- prefixation,
- pregnant,
- primal,
- primary,
- prime,
- primeval,
- primitive,
- primordial,
- principal,
- principle,
- pristine,
- proclitic,
- profound,
- progressionist,
- progressist,
- progressive,
- progressivist,
- protogenic,
- provenience,
- pseudoisomer,
- pure,
- rabid,
- radix,
- rational,
- reagent,
- rebel,
- reciprocal,
- red,
- reformational,
- reformative,
- reformatory,
- reformer,
- reformist,
- reformistic,
- regular,
- revisional,
- revisionist,
- revisory,
- revolutional,
- revolutionary,
- revolutionist,
- revulsionary,
- revulsive,
- ring,
- riprap,
- rise,
- rock bottom,
- root,
- rudiment,
- rudimentary,
- rune,
- sans-culotte,
- seat,
- secessionist,
- seminal,
- separatist,
- severe,
- sheer,
- shorthand,
- side chain,
- sill,
- simple radical,
- sinister,
- sinistral,
- sinistrocerebral,
- sinistrocular,
- sinistrogyrate,
- sinistrorse,
- solid ground,
- solid rock,
- source,
- space-lattice,
- stem,
- stereobate,
- stock,
- straight,
- straight chain,
- stylobate,
- submultiple,
- substantial,
- substantive,
- substratum,
- substruction,
- substructure,
- subversive,
- suffix,
- suffixation,
- sulfacid,
- surd,
- sweeping,
- syndicalist,
- taproot,
- terra firma,
- tetrad,
- theme,
- thorough,
- thoroughgoing,
- through-and-through,
- tolerant,
- too much,
- total,
- transcendental,
- transilient,
- triad,
- trimer,
- ubiquitous,
- ultra,
- ultra-ultra,
- ultraconservative,
- ultraist,
- ultraistic,
- unconditional,
- underbuilding,
- undercarriage,
- undergirding,
- underlying,
- underpinning,
- understruction,
- understructure,
- universal,
- unmitigated,
- unqualified,
- unreserved,
- unrestricted,
- utmost,
- utopian,
- utopist,
- utter,
- uttermost,
- veritable,
- verso,
- vital,
- way out,
- wedge,
- wholesale,
- wide,
- Wobbly,
- word letter,
- word-formation,
- wrong side,
- yippie,
- zealot
Words containing 'Radical'
- Radicalism,
- Radicality,
- Radically,
- Radicalness,
- Radicant,
- Radicate,
- Radicated,
- Radicating,
- Radication,
- Radices,
- radicalize,
- Compound radical,
- Radical pitch,
- Radical quantity,
- Radical sign,
- Radical stress,
- Radical vessels,
- Radical vinegar,
- acetyl radical,
- alcohol radical,
- aldehyde radical,
- alkyl radical,
- allyl radical,
- azido radical,
- azo radical,
- benzoyl radical,
- benzyl radical,
- cacodyl radical,
- cyanide radical,
- cyano radical,
- ethanoyl radical,
- ethyl radical,
- free radical,
- hydrazo radical,
- hydroxyl radical,
- methyl radical,
- methylene radical,
- propyl radical,
- radical cell,
- radical chic,
- radical hysterectomy,
- radical mastectomy,
- radical right,
- uranyl radical,
- vinyl radical,
- modified radical mastectomy,
- Radical axis of two circles