terrorist
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terrorist
A person who carries out terror, that is, systematically commits violence and attacks in order to achieve political, religious, or ideological goals and spread fear among the population.
Die Polizei konnte den Terroristen nach einer langen Verfolgungsjagd festnehmen.
The police were able to arrest the terrorist after a long chase.
The word is made up of 'der Terror' (terror) and the ending '-ist' (-ist). The ending '-ist' often refers to a person who follows a particular ideology or performs a particular activity.
Ein Pazifist lehnt Gewalt grundsätzlich ab.
A pacifist rejects violence on principle.
'Der Terrorist' (the terrorist) belongs to a word family. Related words are 'der Terror' (violence/terror), 'der Terrorismus' (the system/the ideology), and 'terroristisch' (the adjective: terrorist/terroristic).
Die Regierung verurteilt jede Form von Terrorismus.
The government condemns every form of terrorism.
In news and police contexts, 'Terrorist' (terrorist) is often combined with certain verbs. Typical phrases are 'einen Terroristen festnehmen' (to arrest a terrorist), 'einen Terroristen identifizieren' (to identify a terrorist), or 'einen Terroristen überwältigen' (to overpower a terrorist).
Spezialeinheiten konnten den Terroristen festnehmen.
Special units were able to arrest the terrorist.
extremist
Both words can refer to a person with radical political, religious, or ideological goals. „Extremist“ primarily emphasizes extreme views, while „Terrorist“ emphasizes the systematic use of violence and attacks to spread fear. The key question, therefore, is whether the focus is on the views or the actions.
Die Behörden bezeichneten ihn als Terroristen, weil er wiederholt Anschläge verübte.
The authorities called him a terrorist because he repeatedly carried out attacks.
Die Zeitung nannte ihn einen Extremisten, weil er radikale politische Ansichten vertrat.
The newspaper called him an extremist because he held radical political views.
