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Revolutionär
🧐 What exactly is a Revolutionär?
A Revolutionär is a male person who strives for, supports, or participates in a Revolution – meaning a fundamental, often violent, overthrow of the existing political, social, or economic order. It describes someone who demands radical changes and actively campaigns for them.
The female form is die Revolutionärin.
The word can also be used as an adjective (e.g., revolutionäre Ideen - revolutionary ideas), but here we focus on the noun der Revolutionär.
🚨 Attention: The term can have positive connotations (as a fighter for progress and freedom) or negative ones (as a violent subverter), depending on the context.
Article rules for der, die, and das
Male characters → always masculine.
Caution: Most professions also have their feminine forms (e.g. die Polizistin). Some words can also have two forms: der/die Deutsche, der/die Kranke.
📜 Grammar under the Microscope: Der Revolutionär
The noun "Revolutionär" is masculine and belongs to the weak N-declension (schwache N-Deklination). This means it takes the ending -en in all cases except for the nominative singular.
Declension
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | Revolutionär |
| Genitive | des | Revolutionären |
| Dative | dem | Revolutionären |
| Accusative | den | Revolutionären |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Revolutionäre |
| Genitive | der | Revolutionäre |
| Dative | den | Revolutionären |
| Accusative | die | Revolutionäre |
Example Sentences 📝
- Der Revolutionär hielt eine flammende Rede vor der Menge. (The revolutionary gave a fiery speech to the crowd.)
- Die Schriften des Revolutionärs wurden weit verbreitet. (The revolutionary's writings were widely distributed.)
- Man überreichte dem Revolutionär heimlich eine Nachricht. (A message was secretly handed to the revolutionary.)
- Die Regierung ließ den Revolutionär verhaften. (The government had the revolutionary arrested.)
- Die Revolutionäre planten den Sturz des alten Regimes. (The revolutionaries planned the overthrow of the old regime.)
💬 How is "Revolutionär" used?
The term "Revolutionär" is mainly used in political and historical contexts. It describes individuals who play a central role in revolutionary movements or shape such movements ideologically.
- Typical Contexts: Historiography (Geschichtsschreibung), political discussions (politische Diskussionen), biographies (Biografien), news about political upheavals (Nachrichten über politische Umbrüche).
- Connotation: The assessment of a Revolutionär strongly depends on the speaker's viewpoint. To some, they are heroes and liberators; to others, dangerous agitators or terrorists.
- Distinction from similar terms:
- A Rebell (rebel) opposes existing authority but doesn't necessarily aim for a complete system overthrow.
- A Reformator (reformer) seeks changes within the existing system, not its abolition.
- An Aktivist (activist) campaigns for specific goals, often using peaceful means, and doesn't necessarily call for a revolution.
One can also speak of revolutionäre Ideen (revolutionary ideas) or revolutionäre Erfindungen (revolutionary inventions) when they are groundbreaking and transformative, even outside the purely political sphere.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article Mnemonic: Think of famous male revolutionaries like Che Guevara. Historically prominent figures are often male, hence der Revolutionär. (Of course, female revolutionaries, die Revolutionärinnen, existed and exist too!)
Meaning Mnemonic: A Revolutionär wants Radical change and gets things Rolling.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms for Revolutionär
Synonyms (similar meaning):
- Umstürzler: Often negative; someone wanting to violently overthrow the existing order.
- Aufständischer: Insurgent; someone participating in an uprising.
- Rebell: Rebel; someone opposing authority.
- Neuerer: Innovator; more positive, someone introducing fundamental innovations (not just political).
- Freiheitskämpfer: Freedom fighter; positive connotation, someone fighting for liberation from oppression.
Antonyms (opposite meaning):
- Konservativer: Conservative; someone wanting to preserve the existing state.
- Reaktionär: Reactionary; someone wanting to restore former conditions (often negative).
- Loyalist: Loyalist; someone loyal to the existing government or ruler.
- Konterrevolutionär: Counter-revolutionary; someone fighting against a revolution or wanting to reverse it.
- Systemtreuer: Someone loyal to the system.
⚠️ Be careful when choosing synonyms and antonyms, as they often carry different connotations and specific contexts.
😂 A Little Joke
Warum nehmen Revolutionäre immer Leitern mit zur Demo?
Damit sie die Macht übernehmen können! 😉
(Why do revolutionaries always take ladders to demonstrations? So they can take over power! ['übernehmen' means 'to take over', but 'Leiter' also sounds like leader, and ladders help 'take over' heights])
📜 A Short Poem
Der Revolutionär, mit Mut im Blick,
fordert Wandel, Stück für Stück.
Genug vom Alten, starr und schwer,
er träumt von Freiheit, braucht viel mehr.
Mit Wort und Tat, oft laut und kühn,
lässt er neue Zeiten erblühn'.
(The revolutionary, with courage in his eyes, / demands change, bit by bit. / Enough of the old, rigid and heavy, / he dreams of freedom, needs much more. / With word and deed, often loud and bold, / he lets new times blossom.)
🕵️ Who am I? A Riddle
Ich träume von Umsturz, von Neuem und Frei.
Das alte System ist mir einerlei.
Ich kämpfe für Wandel, mit Herz und Verstand.
Manch einer nennt mich Held, manch einer Brandstifter im Land.
Wer bin ich?
(Auflösung: Der Revolutionär)
(I dream of upheaval, of the new and free. / The old system means nothing to me. / I fight for change, with heart and mind. / Some call me a hero, some an arsonist in the land. / Who am I? Answer: The Revolutionary)
💡 Other Information
- Word Origin: The word comes from the French révolutionnaire, which in turn derives from the word révolution (revolution, rotation).
- Word Formation: It is derived from the noun Revolution with the suffix -är.
- Feminine Form: As mentioned, the feminine form is die Revolutionärin (plural: die Revolutionärinnen).
- Adjective: The corresponding adjective is revolutionär (e.g., eine revolutionäre Idee - a revolutionary idea, revolutionäre Technik - revolutionary technology).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Revolutionär?
The word "Revolutionär" is masculine. The correct article is der Revolutionär. It refers to a male person who strives for or participates in a fundamental upheaval and follows the weak N-declension (Genitive: des Revolutionären).