fanatic

[ fuh-nat-ik ]
See synonyms for fanatic on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.

adjective

Origin of fanatic

1
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin fānāticus “pertaining to a temple, inspired by a divinity, frantic,” equivalent to fānum “temple” + -āticus, equivalent to -āt(us) -ate1 + -icus -ic

synonym study For fanatic

1. Fanatic, zealot, militant, devotee refer to persons showing more than ordinary support for, adherence to, or interest in a cause, point of view, or activity. Fanatic and zealot both suggest excessive or overweening devotion to a cause or belief. Fanatic further implies unbalanced or obsessive behavior: a wild-eyed fanatic. Zealot, only slightly less unfavorable in implication than fanatic, implies single-minded partisanship: a tireless zealot for tax reform. Militant stresses vigorous, aggressive support for or opposition to a plan or ideal and suggests a combative stance. Devotee is a milder term than any of the foregoing, suggesting enthusiasm but not to the exclusion of other interests or possible points of view: a jazz devotee.

Other words for fanatic

Other words from fanatic

  • non·fa·nat·ic, noun, adjective

Words that may be confused with fanatic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fanatic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fanatic

fanatic

/ (fəˈnætɪk) /


noun
  1. a person whose enthusiasm or zeal for something is extreme or beyond normal limits

  2. informal a person devoted to a particular hobby or pastime; fan: a jazz fanatic

adjective
  1. a variant of fanatical

Origin of fanatic

1
C16: from Latin fānāticus belonging to a temple, hence, inspired by a god, frenzied, from fānum temple

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012