radicalize

verb

rad·​i·​cal·​ize ˈra-di-kə-ˌlīz How to pronounce radicalize (audio)
radicalized; radicalizing

transitive verb

: to make radical especially in politics
radicalization noun

Examples of radicalize in a Sentence

The war has radicalized an entire generation of young people.
Recent Examples on the Web Young people were instrumental in strategizing these marches and, in many ways, radicalized local civil rights activism. Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 Mulligan plays Maud, a factory worker who is radicalized after facing gendered brutality from her husband, boss, and the state. Janey Tracey, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Raids and checkpoints would further radicalize civilians in Gaza. Colin P. Clarke, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2024 The use of social media to radicalize and mobilize for violence was perhaps most clearly evidenced by the arrests of hundreds of people who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection — and posted about it. TIME, 5 Feb. 2024 Having to face that kind of naked, aggressive power on the part of the police and of government agencies radicalizes one. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2024 The outlook for a parent in Gaza today is that if their children aren’t killed in the war, they will be radicalized and recruited in numbers Hamas could only previously have dreamed of. Marc Champion, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2024 Both young adults at the time of their attacks (Roof was 21, and Gendron was 18), they were radicalized online by White supremacist propaganda and targeted Black victims in public settings. David Nakamura, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023 The United States’ exportation of these two ideas is radicalizing men and women across the globe, prompting foreign governments to take steps to protect their citizens. Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'radicalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of radicalize was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near radicalize

Cite this Entry

“Radicalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radicalize. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

radicalize

verb
rad·​i·​cal·​ize ˈrad-i-kə-ˌlīz How to pronounce radicalize (audio)
radicalized; radicalizing
: to make radical

More from Merriam-Webster on radicalize

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