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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

• zealots
  plural

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• zealots
  plural

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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

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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

See Examples For:

zealot Zealot zealots

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

“Liz is not a natural born leader; she is more of a zealot than a showman,” Mr. Evans wrote to Judge Davila.

From New York Times ● May 7, 2023

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

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

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Zealot R.I.P. performs on Sept. 22 at D.C.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 14, 2021

Without taking sides, it tells the story of the civil war largely through the eyes of a young Zealot motivated less by religious fanaticism than by disgust over social injustice and corruption.

From New York Times ● Sep. 11, 2021

He calls himself the Turfgrass Zealot and has a stock speech about his successes.

From Golf Digest ● Sep. 25, 2019

He’s written three books on religion: No god but God, which is about Islam; Beyond Fundamentalism, which is about religious extremism; and Zealot, which is about Jesus of Nazareth.

From Slate ● May 4, 2017

"If you are going to establish a free Jewish nation, you must do more than talk," declared the Zealot.

From Men Called Him Master by Elwyn A. (Elwyn Allen) Smith

The Cylons are fundamentalist, monotheistic zealots who wipe out nearly all of humankind, making them apt representations of all kinds of real-world threats.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

The explanation is hard to untangle for those who aren’t true numerology zealots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

The U.S. built the post-war world around rules—not because we are zealots about law, but because rules have helped us.

From Barron's ● Jan. 5, 2026

Its activists have been derided as attention-seeking zealots and vandals and it is loathed by many for its disruptive direct action tactics.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025

Religious zealots and religious dissenters were making noise while members of the Church of England and Unitarians like the Darwins also quietly questioned their faith.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

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Related Words

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

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