क्रांतिकारी (kraantikaarii)

noun/adjective Covers both the adjective 'revolutionary' (describing an idea, change, or movement) and the noun 'a revolutionary' (a person). Built from क्रांति (kraanti, 'revolution') plus the agentive suffix -कारी (kaarii, 'doer/causing').
Sense 1 : a revolutionary (person)
noun, masculine/feminine
Synonyms: विद्रोही (vidrohii, rebel/insurgent), बागी (baagii, rebel, informal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This word carries real historical weight in India -- it's the standard term for freedom fighters who believed in armed or radical resistance against British rule, as distinct from सत्याग्रही (satyaagrahii), the Gandhian non-violent resister. Names like भगत सिंह (bhagat sinh) are almost always introduced to schoolchildren with this label attached.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat this as gender-variable like दोस्त (dost), but क्रांतिकारी (kraantikaarii) stays the same form for both a male and female revolutionary -- only the verb agreement and any accompanying adjective change, not the word itself.
Sample Sentences:
भगत सिंह एक महान क्रांतिकारी थे। Bhagat Singh was a great revolutionary.
(bhagat sinh ek mahaan kraantikaarii the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बहुत से क्रांतिकारियों ने आज़ादी के लिए अपनी जान दे दी। Many revolutionaries gave their lives for freedom.
(bahut se kraantikaariyon ne aazaadii ke lie apnii jaan de dii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
स्कूल में हमें क्रांतिकारियों के बारे में पढ़ाया जाता है। In school, we are taught about the revolutionaries.
(skool men hamen kraantikaariyon ke baare men padhaayaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
अंग्रेज़ सरकार क्रांतिकारियों को पकड़ने की पूरी कोशिश कर रही थी। The British government was trying its best to catch the revolutionaries.
(angrez sarkaar kraantikaariyon ko pakadne kii poorii koshish kar rahii thii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
काश वह क्रांतिकारी आज ज़िंदा होता और यह आज़ाद भारत देखता। If only that revolutionary were alive today and could see this free India.
(kaash vah kraantikaarii aaj zindaa hotaa aur yah aazaad bhaarat dekhtaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अगर वह क्रांतिकारी पकड़ा न जाता, तो शायद इतिहास कुछ और होता। If that revolutionary had not been caught, perhaps history would have been different.
(agar vah kraantikaarii pakdaa n jaataa, to shaayad itihaas kuchh aur hotaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Passive
क्या तुम जानते हो कि चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद भी एक प्रसिद्ध क्रांतिकारी थे? Do you know that Chandrashekhar Azad was also a famous revolutionary?
(kyaa tum jaante ho ki chandrshekhar aazaad bhii ek prasiddh kraantikaarii the?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उस गाँव के हर बच्चे को उन क्रांतिकारियों की कहानी याद है। Every child in that village remembers the story of those revolutionaries.
(us gaanv ke har bachche ko un kraantikaariyon kii kahaanii yaad hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्रांतिकारियो, उठो और अपने देश के लिए लड़ो! Revolutionaries, rise up and fight for your country!
(kraantikaariyo, utho aur apne desh ke lie lado!)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
हो सकता है कि वह लड़का बड़ा होकर एक क्रांतिकारी बने। It's possible that boy will grow up to become a revolutionary.
(ho saktaa hai ki vah ladkaa badaa hokar ek kraantikaarii bane।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
उस क्रांतिकारी की प्रतिमा शहर के बीचोबीच लगाई गई है। That revolutionary's statue has been installed in the middle of the city.
(us kraantikaarii kii pratimaa shahar ke biichobiich lagaaii gaii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
हे वीर क्रांतिकारियो, तुम्हारा बलिदान अमर रहेगा। O brave revolutionaries, your sacrifice will remain immortal.
(he viir kraantikaariyo, tumhaaraa balidaan amar rahegaa।)
Register: Devotional -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : revolutionary, radical, transformative
adjective
Synonyms: आमूल (aamool, literary, root-and-branch), बुनियादी (buniyaadii, fundamental -- covers only the 'foundational change' sense, not the political charge)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly in Hindi news media describing anything from a new technology to a policy shift as क्रांतिकारी (kraantikaarii) -- it's the go-to word for 'game-changing' in a headline, much like English overuses 'revolutionary' in marketing.
Common Mistakes: 1) Used for ideas, technologies, or changes (क्रांतिकारी बदलाव (kraantikaarii badlaav, 'revolutionary change')) just as freely as for political movements -- learners often reserve it mentally for politics alone and miss this everyday extended use in news and business Hindi.
Sample Sentences:
यह एक क्रांतिकारी खोज है। This is a revolutionary discovery.
(yah ek kraantikaarii khoj hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
सरकार ने शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में क्रांतिकारी बदलाव किए हैं। The government has made revolutionary changes in the field of education.
(sarkaar ne shikshaa ke kshetr men kraantikaarii badlaav kie hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह तकनीक स्वास्थ्य क्षेत्र में क्रांतिकारी साबित होगी। This technology will prove revolutionary in the healthcare sector.
(yah takniik svaasthy kshetr men kraantikaarii saabit hogii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर यह योजना लागू होती, तो यह सचमुच क्रांतिकारी होती। If this plan had been implemented, it would truly have been revolutionary.
(agar yah yojnaa laagoo hotii, to yah sachmuch kraantikaarii hotii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अखबार हर नई ऐप को क्रांतिकारी बता देते हैं। Newspapers call every new app revolutionary.
(akhbaar har naii aip ko kraantikaarii bataa dete hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उम्मीद है कि यह अनुसंधान क्रांतिकारी सिद्ध हो। It is hoped that this research will prove revolutionary.
(ummiid hai ki yah anusandhaan kraantikaarii siddh ho।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
उस दौर में यह विचार अत्यंत क्रांतिकारी माना जाता था। In that era, this idea was considered extremely revolutionary.
(us daur men yah vichaar atyant kraantikaarii maanaa jaataa thaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
इस खोज को क्रांतिकारी माना गया। This discovery was considered revolutionary.
(is khoj ko kraantikaarii maanaa gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
क्या यह सुधार वाकई क्रांतिकारी है, या बस एक नारा? Is this reform really revolutionary, or just a slogan?
(kyaa yah sudhaar vaakaii kraantikaarii hai, yaa bas ek naaraa?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कंपनी हर उत्पाद के विज्ञापन में उसे क्रांतिकारी कहती है। The company calls it revolutionary in the advertisement for every product.
(kampnii har utpaad ke vigyaapan men use kraantikaarii kahtii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह निर्णय समाज के लिए क्रांतिकारी सिद्ध हुआ। This decision proved revolutionary for society.
(yah nirnay samaaj ke lie kraantikaarii siddh huaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct): क्रांतिकारी (kraantikaarii)
(sg.m/f.oblique): क्रांतिकारी (kraantikaarii)
(pl.m/f.direct): क्रांतिकारियाँ (kraantikaariyaan)
(pl.m/f.oblique): क्रांतिकारियों (kraantikaariyon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant: क्रांतिकारी (kraantikaarii)