radical
n. countablen. a person who wants to make big, fast changes to the way society or a government works. They usually believe that small changes are not enough to fix deep problems.
n. a person who advocates for thorough or fundamental political or social reform. Often used to describe individuals who seek to alter the core structures of a system rather than making incremental adjustments.
He became a radical after seeing how the poor were treated.
The university was known as a meeting place for radicals who wanted to overthrow the existing government.
While the moderates were willing to negotiate for minor policy shifts, the radicals insisted that only a complete overhaul of the constitution would satisfy the public's demands.
PIE word *wréh₂ds Inherited from Middle English radical, from Latin rādīcālis (“of or pertaining to the root, having roots, radical”). Compare grassroots.
Commonly used in political science to distinguish those seeking structural change from reformers or moderates.