adherent

[ad-heer-uhnt, -her-]

noun

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

   Synonyms: fan, devotee, disciple

adjective

1. sticking; clinging; adhering.

   an adherent substance.

2. bound by contract or other formal agreement.

   the nations adherent to the Geneva Convention.

3. Biology.,  adnate.

4. Grammar.,  standing before and modifying a noun; attributive.

adherent

/ ədˈhɪərənt /

noun

1. (usually foll by of) a supporter or follower

adjective

1. sticking, holding fast, or attached

Other Word Forms

• adherently adverb
• nonadherent adjective
• preadherent adjective
• preadherently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of adherent¹

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

See follower.

Example Sentences

Abdulmohsen -- a critic of Islam and an adherent of far-right views and radical conspiracy theories -- faces life in prison if convicted.

Read more on Barron's

The politics and social views of modernism’s adherents aren’t always likable.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Eventually, many of Garrison’s adherents came to believe that slavery could only be defeated by force, and abandoned nonresistance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The promise remains dazzling and deliciously diabolical enough for adherents to forget that deals with the devil always come with a hidden, inescapable price tag.

Read more on Salon

While universities need to change, the Administration’s overreach is likely to gain more decliners than adherents.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• backer 
• believer 
• devotee 
• disciple 
• enthusiast