Bolshevik

Or bol·she·vik

[bohl-shuh-vik, bol-, buhl-shi-vyeek]

noun

plural

Bolsheviks, Bolsheviki 

1. (in Russia)

   1. a member of the more radical majority of the Social Democratic Party, 1903–17, advocating immediate and forceful seizure of power by the proletariat.

   2. (after 1918) a member of the Russian Communist Party.

2. (loosely) a member of any Communist party.

3. (often lowercase),  a contemptuous term used to refer to an extreme radical or revolutionary.

Bolshevik

/ ˈbɒlʃɪvɪk /

noun

1. (formerly) a Russian Communist Compare Menshevik

2. any Communist

3. humorous,  (often not capital) any political radical, esp a revolutionary

Other Word Forms

• anti-Bolshevik noun
• non-Bolshevik noun
• pro-Bolshevik adjective
• Bolshevism noun
• Bolshevist adjective
• Bolshevistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bolshevik¹

1915–20; < Russian bolʾshevík, equivalent to bólʾsh ( iĭ ) larger, greater (comparative of bolʾshóĭ large; compare bolʾshinstvó majority) + -evik, variant of -ovik noun suffix; Menshevik

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bolshevik¹

C20: from Russian Bol'shevik majority, from bol'shoi great; from the fact that this group formed a majority of the Russian Social Democratic Party in 1903

Example Sentences

Born in 1927, a decade after the Bolshevik Revolution, his work was steeped in the traditions of classical ballet.

From BBC

The diplomatic whirlwind that has surrounded US President Donald Trump this week suggests the old Bolshevik might have been onto something.

From BBC

Leadership values change, but being placed under permanent house arrest by the Bolsheviks at the luxury Hotel Metropol in “A Gentleman in Moscow” doesn’t stop Alexander from dressing the aristocratic part.

From Los Angeles Times

In the years after Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, many Russian Jews supported and participated in the country that became known as the Soviet Union.

From Los Angeles Times

As ill-will from the Allies' betrayal at Versailles festered, activists turned away from Western liberal democracies and looked instead to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia as a source of inspiration for the future.

From Salon