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Radical vs Reactionary - What's the difference?

radical | reactionary |

In chemistry terms the difference between radical and reactionary

is that radical is a group of atoms, joined by covalent bonds, that take part in reactions as a single unit while reactionary is of, pertaining to, participating in or inducing a chemical reaction.

As adjectives the difference between radical and reactionary

is that radical is favoring fundamental change, or change at the root cause of a matter while reactionary is opposed to change; urging a return to a previous state.

As nouns the difference between radical and reactionary

is that radical is a member of the most progressive wing of the Liberal Party; someone favouring social reform (but generally stopping short of socialism) while reactionary is one who is opposed to change.

radical

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Favoring fundamental change, or change at the root cause of a matter.
  • His beliefs are radical .
  • (botany, not comparable) Pertaining to a root (of a plant).
  • Pertaining to the basic or intrinsic nature of something.
  • * Burke
  • The most determined exertions of that authority, against them, only showed their radical independence.
  • Thoroughgoing.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
  • , author=Donald Worster , title=A Drier and Hotter Future , volume=100, issue=1, page=70 , magazine= citation , passage=Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.}}
    The spread of the cancer required radical surgery, and the entire organ was removed.
  • (linguistics, not comparable) Of or pertaining to the root of a word.
  • (linguistics, not comparable, of a sound) Produced using the root of the tongue.
  • (chemistry, not comparable) Involving free radicals.
  • (math) Relating to a radix or mathematical root.
  • a radical''' quantity; a '''radical sign
  • Excellent; awesome.
  • That was a radical jump!

    Derived terms

    * radicalness * radicality * radicalize * radically * radical empiricism * radical feminism * radical left * radical pluralism * radical reform * radical right * radical Islam * radical vinegar

    Synonyms

    * (pertaining to the basic or intrinsic nature of something) fundamental

    Antonyms

    * (pertaining to the basic or intrinsic nature of something) ignorable, trivial

    Coordinate terms

    * (produced with the root of the tongue) labial, coronal, dorsal, laryngeal

    Noun

    (en noun) (wikipedia radical)
  • A member of the most progressive wing of the Liberal Party; someone favouring social reform (but generally stopping short of socialism).
  • A member of an influential, centrist political party favouring moderate social reform, a republican constitution, and secular politics.
  • A person with radical opinions.
  • (arithmetic) A root (of a number or quantity).
  • (linguistics) In logographic writing systems as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a character (if any) that provides an indication of its meaning, as opposed to phonetic .
  • (linguistics) In Semitic languages, any one of the set of consonants (typically three) that make up a root.
  • (chemistry) A group of atoms, joined by covalent bonds, that take part in reactions as a single unit.
  • (organic chemistry) A free radical.
  • Derived terms

    * free radical * radical sign

    Anagrams

    * ----

    reactionary

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Opposed to change; urging a return to a previous state.
  • Very conservative.
  • * {{quote-book
  • , date = 2011-09-29 , title = The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin , author = Corey Robin , location = New York , publisher = Oxford University Press , isbn = 9780199793747 , ol = 25101368M , page = 25 , pageurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=CWxIz_Gm9WMC&pg=PA25&dq=reactionary , passage = There's a fairly simple reason for the embrace of radicalism on the right, and it has to do with the reactionary imperative that lies at the core of conservative doctrine. If he is to preserve what he values, the conservative must declare war against the culture as it is. }}
  • (chemistry) Of, pertaining to, participating in or inducing a chemical reaction.
  • * 2013 , Brandon Smith, Are Individuals The Property Of The Collective?
  • Psychiatry extends the theory into biology in the belief that all human behavior is nothing more than a series of reactionary chemical processes in the brain that determine pre-coded genetic responses built up from the conditioning of one’s environment.

    Antonyms

    * nonreactionary

    Noun

    (wikipedia reactionary) (reactionaries)
  • One who is opposed to change.
  • One who is very conservative.