fanatic

[fuh-nat-ik]

noun

1. a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.

   Synonyms: militant, hothead, bigot, zealot, enthusiast

adjective

1. fanatical.

fanatic

/ fəˈnætɪk /

noun

1. a person whose enthusiasm or zeal for something is extreme or beyond normal limits

2. informal,  a person devoted to a particular hobby or pastime; fan

   a jazz fanatic

adjective

1. a variant of fanatical

Other Word Forms

• nonfanatic noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fanatic¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin fānāticus “pertaining to a temple, inspired by a divinity, frantic,” equivalent to fānum “temple” + -āticus, equivalent to -āt(us) -ate ¹ + -icus -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of fanatic¹

C16: from Latin fānāticus belonging to a temple, hence, inspired by a god, frenzied, from fānum temple

Synonym Study

Fanatic, zealot, militant, devotee refer to persons showing more than ordinary support for, adherence to, or interest in a cause, point of view, or activity. Fanatic and zealot both suggest excessive or overweening devotion to a cause or belief. Fanatic further implies unbalanced or obsessive behavior: a wild-eyed fanatic. Zealot, only slightly less unfavorable in implication than fanatic, implies single-minded partisanship: a tireless zealot for tax reform. Militant stresses vigorous, aggressive support for or opposition to a plan or ideal and suggests a combative stance. Devotee is a milder term than any of the foregoing, suggesting enthusiasm but not to the exclusion of other interests or possible points of view: a jazz devotee.

Example Sentences

A fascinating research study recently showed that the brain activity of left-wing fanatics and right-wing fanatics is pretty much the same.

Read more on MarketWatch

Ten years later, the company became a mass phenomenon as fanatics rushed to grocery stores to buy their very own box of Beyond Meat’s buzz-worthy Beyond Burgers.

Read more on MarketWatch

And karaoke fanatics could hardly be better catered for.

Read more on BBC

Protein has long been a staple of fitness fanatics and those looking to improve their muscle mass, but recently protein and supplements have broken into the mainstream.

Read more on Salon

As for Hamas, they are terrorists whom everyone hates but their own like-minded fanatics and young dopes in the West.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• addict 
• bigot 
• devotee 
• enthusiast 
• extremist 
• fiend 
• freak 
• maniac 
• militant 
• nut 
• radical 
• visionary 
• zealot 

When To Use

What does fanatic mean?

A fanatic is a person with an extreme and often unquestioning enthusiasm, devotion, or zeal for something, such as a religion, political stance, or cause.This sense of the word is typically used negatively to imply that someone takes such devotion too far, as in They’re considered religious fanatics due to their extreme practices. Close synonyms are extremist, radical, and zealot.Other times, fanatic is not used negatively but instead simply refers to someone who is extreme in their devotion or enthusiasm for an interest or hobby. For example, calling someone a sports fanatic means they’re an extremely enthusiastic fan of sports. In fact, the word fan is a shortening of fanatic.Less commonly, fanatic can be used as an adjective meaning the same thing as fanatical—having and motivated by extreme enthusiasm or devotion.Example: We dismiss them as fanatics, but their beliefs may be more widespread than we think.