adherent

[ ad-heer-uhnt, -her- ]

See synonyms for adherent on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who follows or upholds a leader, cause, etc.; supporter; follower.

adjective

sticking; clinging; adhering: an adherent substance.
bound by contract or other formal agreement: the nations adherent to the Geneva Convention.

Biology. adnate.
Grammar. standing before and modifying a noun; attributive.

Origin of adherent

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin adhērent-, from Latin adhaerent-, stem of adhaerēns “sticking to,” present participle of adhaerēre “to stick to”; equivalent to adhere + -ent

synonym study For adherent

1. See follower.

Other words for adherent

1	disciple, devotee, fan

See synonyms for adherent on Thesaurus.com

Other words from adherent

ad·her·ent·ly, adverb
non·ad·her·ent, adjective, noun
pre·ad·her·ent, adjective
pre·ad·her·ent·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with adherent

adherence, adherents , adhesion

Words Nearby adherent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use adherent in a sentence

But the Brotherhood proved a less-than-stalwart adherent to Hamas's agenda.
Arab Spring Keeps Sending Hamas Packing | Rachel Cohen | July 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Twenty-five percent of Americans believe that Obama is an adherent of Islam.
November Surprises | Christopher Buckley | November 3, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
This callous skin is even adherent to the bones, against which it is continually pressed by the weight of the body.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Sulla, throughout his whole life, was a consistent adherent of the extreme oligarchical party.
The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States | James Hamilton Lewis
Reuben had another adherent who was also acting on his behalf.
A Final Reckoning | G. A. Henty

An adherent coating may be obtained by adding an alkaline tartrate, but in that case the separation takes place too slowly.
Scientific American Supplement No. 299 | Various
Mrs. Felsburg was distinguished for being a rigid adherent to the ritualistic laws of her people.
Those Times And These | Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for adherent

adherent

/ (ədˈhɪərənt) /

noun

(usually foll by of) a supporter or follower

adjective

sticking, holding fast, or attached

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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