noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈbɒlʃəvɪk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈboʊlʃəvɪk/
General-American:/ˈbɑl-/
General-American:/ˈbol-/
General-American:/ˈbɔl-/
rhymes with -ɒlʃəvɪk
rhymes with -əʊlʃəvɪk
CMU ARPABET:B OW1 L SH AH0 V IH2 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A Russian communist revolutionary, a member of the Bolshevik Party in the Communist Revolution of Russia in 1917.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A member of the Communist Party that ruled the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Alternative form of Bolshevik.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective
Meaning 4
of or relating to Bolshevism
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Bolshevik Revolution
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Bolshevist, Bolshevistic
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
emotionally charged terms used to refer to extreme radicals or revolutionaries
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Marxist, red, bolshie, bolshy
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: radical
6
noun
Meaning 6
a Russian member of the left-wing majority group that followed Lenin and eventually became the Russian communist party
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Bolshevist
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: communist, commie
Narrower terms: Bukharin, Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, Lenin, Vladimir Lenin, Nikolai Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Vladimir Ilich Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov, Trotsky, Leon Trotsky, Lev Davidovich Bronstein
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian большеви́к (bolʹševík), from большинство́ (bolʹšinstvó, “majority”).
Across languages
Translations
77 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
bolshevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Arabic:
بُلْشِفِيك
(bulšifīk)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Arabic:
بُلْشِفِيّ
(bulšifiyy)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Armenian:
բոլշեւիկ
(bolšewik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Azerbaijani:
bolşevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Belarusian:
бальшаві́к
(balʹšavík)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Belarusian:
бальшаві́чка
(balʹšavíčka)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Bulgarian:
болшеви́к
(bolševík)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Catalan:
bolxevic
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Chinese Mandarin:
布爾什維克 /布尔什维克
(bù'ěrshíwéikè)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Czech:
bolševik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Danish:
bolsjevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Dutch:
bolsjewiek
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Esperanto:
bolŝeviko
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Estonian:
enamlane
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Estonian:
bolševik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Finnish:
bolševikki
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
French:
bolchevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
French:
bolchévique
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
French:
bolchevique
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Galician:
bolxevique
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Georgian:
ბოლშევიკი
(bolševiḳi)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
German:
Bolschewik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
German:
Bolschewikin
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
German:
Bolschewist
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
German:
Bolschewistin
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Greek:
μπολσεβίκος
(bolsevíkos)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Greenlandic:
bolschevikki
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Hindi:
बोलशेविक
(bolśevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Hungarian:
bolsevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Icelandic:
bolsévik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Irish:
Boilséiveach
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Italian:
bolscevico
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Italian:
bolscevica
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Japanese:
ボリシェヴィキ
(borisheviki)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Kannada:
ಬೋಲ್ಶೆವಿಕ್
(bōlśevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Kannada:
ಬೊಲ್ಶೆವಿಕ್
(bolśevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Kazakh:
большевик
(bolşevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Korean:
볼셰비키
(bolsyebiki)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Kyrgyz:
большевик
(bolşevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Latin:
bolsevicus
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Latin:
bolsevica
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Latvian:
boļševiks
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Lithuanian:
bolševikas
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Macedonian:
болшевик
(bolševik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Marathi:
बोलशेव्हिक
(bolśevhik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Mongolian:
большевик
(bolʹševik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Norwegian:
bolsjevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Persian:
بلشویک
(bolševik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Polish:
bolszewik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Polish:
bolszewiczka
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Portuguese:
bolchevique
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Romanian:
bolșevic
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Russian:
большеви́к
(bolʹševík)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Russian:
большеви́чка
(bolʹševíčka)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Serbo-Croatian:
бољшѐвӣк
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Serbo-Croatian:
boljšèvīk
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Slovak:
boľševik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Slovene:
boljševik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Spanish:
bolchevique
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Swedish:
bolsjevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Tajik:
болшевик
(bolševik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Telugu:
బోల్శెవిక్
(bōlśevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Telugu:
బొల్శెవిక్
(bolśevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Thai:
บอลเชวิค
(bɔɔn-chee-wík)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Turkish:
Bolşevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Ottoman Turkish:
بولشهویك
(Bolşevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Turkmen:
bolşewik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Ukrainian:
більшови́к
(bilʹšovýk)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Ukrainian:
більшови́чка
(bilʹšovýčka)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Urdu:
بالشویک
(bālśevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Uzbek:
bolshevik
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Vietnamese:
Bôn-sê-vích
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Vietnamese:
bôn-sê-vích
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Yakut:
бассабыык
(bassabïïk)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Yiddish:
באָלשעוויק
(bolshevik)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
Yiddish:
באָלשעוויסט
(bolshevist)
— a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party, which seized power in the October Revolution of 1917
