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• zealot
  zealot

  noun

  a person who shows zeal.
• Zealot
  Zealot

  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

zealot

American  

[zel-uht] / ˈzɛl ət /

noun

1. a person who shows zeal.

2. an excessively zealous person; fanatic.

   Synonyms:

   bigot, crank, extremist

3. (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.

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Zealot ¹ British  

/ ˈzɛlət /

noun

1. 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

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zealot ² British  

/ ˈzɛlət /

noun

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

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Synonym Usage

See fanatic.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underzealot
  noun

Etymology

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

Explanation

The hamburger zealot was so fanatical about his burgers that he camped outside his favorite fast-food joint for hours every morning, waiting for it to open. And he would never put mustard on them, only ketchup. The original zealots were a group of first-century Jews who were absolutely determined to overthrow Roman rule in Palestine. Today, anyone who goes overboard in their zeal, or enthusiasm, for a particular cause, a religion, a sports team, or a charitable organization — can be called a zealot. The coffee lover was a zealot regarding where his coffee was grown, who grew it, and how it was roasted.

Example Sentences

Even Southwest, the anti-fee zealot of the past 50 years, recently abandoned its two-bags-free policy and started charging just like everyone else.

From Slate • Oct. 9, 2025

Witnesses have included his flabbergasted ex-wife, who testified that he morphed from a Brooklyn family man into a zealot.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2023

Mr. Rowe long plotted his escape even as he portrayed himself to peers as a zealot of Kim’s rule.

From Washington Post • Jan. 6, 2023

“She is more of a zealot than a showman.”

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2022

Blanche, on the other hand, glowed with the certainty of a zealot.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Related Words

• die-hard
• extremist
• fanatic
• militant
• radical