WorldAugust 25, 2026

radicalizes

RAD-ih-kuh-ly-ziz

Definition

To make something more extreme or to push an idea or demand to its most fundamental, foundational, or uncompromising level.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'radix' (root), the term originally referred to pursuing a goal to its 'roots.' In English, it evolved to describe the advocacy of extreme political or social change that strikes at the foundations of the current order.

In the news

In the context of transitional justice, the author uses the term to describe how issues of displacement—like the return of refugees or stolen property—force the field to confront fundamental, uncompromising questions about who belongs to a community. It signifies how these issues push transitional justice beyond its standard, narrow, and comfortable boundaries.

Symposium on Reframing Transitional Justice: Transitional Justice’s “Unit of Analysis” Problem

Read the full article ↗

Opinio Juris

Related words

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.