Leveler (Noun)
Meaning
A radical who advocates the abolition of social distinctions.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The 17th-century radical Gerrard Winstanley was a leveler who believed in the redistribution of land to create a classless society.
- In the heat of the revolution, the young activist became an outspoken leveler, calling for the dismantling of the monarchy and the aristocracy.
- The community of Diggers, led by the firebrand leveler William Everard, worked together to cultivate the common land in defiance of the established order.
- Historians consider Richard Overton one of the most influential levelers of the English Civil War era, thanks to his impassioned writings against social inequality.
- Despite the backlash from the wealthy elite, the leveler's message of universal equality and justice resonated with the impoverished masses.