radical
adjective
1. (used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm
- radical opinions on education
Similar word(s): immoderate, extremist, ultra
2. markedly new or introducing radical change
- radical political views
Similar word(s): new, revolutionary
3. arising from or going to the root or source
- a radical flaw in the plan
Similar word(s): basic
4. of or relating to or constituting a linguistic root
- a radical verb form
5. 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
- radical leaves
Similar word(s): basal
Sentences with radical as an adjective:
- His beliefs are radical.
- The spread of the cancer required radical surgery, and the entire organ was removed.
- a radical quantity; a radical sign
- That was a radical jump!
noun
1. (chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule
Similar word(s): group
Definition categories: substance, unit
2. 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
Definition categories: substance, atom
3. a person who has radical ideas or opinions
Definition categories: person, individual, mortal, somebody, someone, soul
4. (mathematics) a quantity expressed as the root of another quantity
Definition categories: quantity, amount, measure
5. a character conveying the lexical meaning of a logogram
Definition categories: communication, character, graph, grapheme
6. (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
Similar word(s): base, root, stem, theme
Definition categories: communication, descriptor, form, signifier