zealot

[ zel-uht ]

See synonyms for zealot on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who shows zeal.
an excessively zealous person; fanatic.

(initial capital letter) a member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent from a.d. 69 to 81, advocating the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisting the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to heathenize the Jews.

Origin of zealot

First recorded in 1400–50; earlier zelote from Late Latin zēlōtēs, from Greek zēlṓtēs, equivalent to zēlō- (variant stem of zēloûn “to be zealous”; see zeal) + -tēs agent suffix

synonym study For zealot

2. See fanatic.

Other words for zealot

2	extremist, crank, bigot

See synonyms for zealot on Thesaurus.com

Other words from zealot

un·der·zeal·ot, noun

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

How to use zealot in a sentence

As zealots poured in from Arkansas and Mississippi, a wire service reporter got punched in the ribs.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise | Jason Berry | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The United States was not founded as a Christian nation, no matter how many zealots wish it had been.
Why I’m for the War on Christmas | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They also frequented online chat rooms where fellow Islamic zealots teed off with venomous rants about their hate for infidels.
Post Office Robbers More Wanted Than ISIS | M.L. Nestel | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Zealots on motorcycles are throwing acid at women whose veils are deemed too loose in the ancient city of Isfahan.
Acid Attacks on Women Spread Terror in Iran | IranWire | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Add in fiery preaching by anti-gay zealots, often funded by American organizations, and you have a volatile brew ready to explode.
The Uganda Ruling is Good For Everyone But Gays | Jay Michaelson | August 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

In the flush of Romanticism the zealots neglected those studies which give firmness to the mind.
Vie de Bohme | Orlo Williams
With the exception of one or two zealots the English Catholics treated the Bull as a dead letter.
History of the English People | John Richard Green
The Ireland of zealots and traitors, of rebels and the meek, of madmen and martyrs, of heroes and assassins.
The English Stage | Augustin Filon
And there was a danger to be encountered far later than that which was due to the anti-Popery zealots of the Tudor dynasty.
In Search Of Gravestones Old And Curious | W.T. (William Thomas) Vincent
Judas and his zealots were thus able to maintain their prominence and gradually to increase their power.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for zealot (1 of 2)

zealot

/ (ˈzɛlət) /

noun

an immoderate, fanatical, or extremely zealous adherent to a cause, esp a religious one

Origin of zealot

C16: from Late Latin zēlōtēs, from Greek, from zēloun to be zealous, from zēlos zeal

British Dictionary definitions for Zealot (2 of 2)

Zealot

/ (ˈzɛlət) /

noun

any of the members of an extreme Jewish sect or political party that resisted all aspects of Roman rule in Palestine in the 1st century ad

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

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