Spell Bee Word: radical

Basic Details

Word: Radical

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Very great and thorough, changing the basic way something is; also wanting big changes in society.

Synonyms: drastic, thorough, complete, extreme

Antonyms: minor, slight, moderate

Sounds like: radicle (the first tiny root that grows out of a seed)

How to Spell Radical

Syllables: rad - i - cal

Tricky part: The middle vowel is i and the ending is cal. Do not mix it up with radicle, a different word from science.

Watch out for: radecal, radikal, raddical

Memory tip: Radical and medical end the same way, i-c-a-l. Swap med for rad and you have it.

Usage Examples

Example 1: The new principal made radical changes to the school timetable.

Example 2: Moving from a village to Mumbai was a radical change for the family.

Example 3: The scientists suggested a radical idea for cleaning plastic out of the sea.

Fun Fact

Radical comes from the Latin radix, meaning root, so a radical change goes right down to the roots. Radish comes from the same Latin word.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Connection

Choose the antonym of the word: radical

a) extreme
b) sweeping
c) drastic
d) minor

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the incorrectly spelt word:

a) critical
b) musical
c) logical
d) radikal

Word Cookie

Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:

r_d_cal

a) a, i
b) a, e
c) a, a
d) e, i

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of these would be a radical change for a small business?

a) painting one wall
b) turning a cycle shop into a car factory
c) changing a light bulb
d) buying new pencils

2. In a seed, the radicle is the baby root. Which word means 'complete and far-reaching'?

a) radicle
b) radiant
c) radial
d) radical