fanatic
Americannoun
-
fanatics
plural
adjective
noun
-
a person whose enthusiasm or zeal for something is extreme or beyond normal limits
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informal a person devoted to a particular hobby or pastime; fan
a jazz fanatic
adjective
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of fanatic
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
Explanation
If you’re apt to come off as a little zany and express extreme enthusiasm for a particular idea or thing, you may be described as a fanatic. "She’s a real vegetable fanatic; I’ve never seen someone so enthusiastic about gardening methods. From the Latin fanaticus meaning “mad, enthusiastic,” the noun fanatic means “zealous person.” You know how right before the family gathers for Thanksgiving each year, everyone warns each other not to get your Uncle Jimmy started on the role of government in everyday life? That’s because he’s a fanatic, and as Winston Churchill so aptly phrased it, “A fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”
Vocabulary lists containing fanatic
I Am Malala
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"The Sniper" by Liam O’Flaherty
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The Suffix -ic, Part 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If you’re a true Slate fanatic, head over to our special archival homepage for even more blasts from the past.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
But you don’t have to be a football fanatic to grasp that today, for 12- to 18-year-old boys, this sport has never been more important.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The self-confessed NBA fanatic - inspired by LeBron James' live show by the same name in 2010, when the basketball star joined the Miami Heat - was attempting to own his narrative.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"I became a soccer fanatic after that. And I'm hoping the same thing for my nephew" this time, he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
More than a loyal follower of the show, Bobby was a fanatic.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Hot summer days are ahead and Saray Martinez, owner of Hood Baby LA, wants all the soccer fanatics to stay cool — and stylish from head to toe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
All of this soft-drink soft power belies an uneasy truth for Diet Coke fanatics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
The guess here is that the mullahs are not exactly fanatics when it comes to respecting each other’s voting rights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
Ponoroff credits Rutledge with creating a balance between giving pickleball fanatics what they want while not isolating non-players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
She took us there and we were exhibited to a lot of Spiritualist fanatics.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
