zealot
noun
a person who shows zeal.
zealot
American
[zel-uht]
/ ˈzɛl ət /
noun
-
zealots
plural
-
a person who shows zeal.
-
an excessively zealous person; fanatic.
-
(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.
Zealot
1
British
/ ˈzɛlət /
noun
zealot
2
British
/ ˈzɛlət /
noun
Synonym Usage
See fanatic.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing zealot
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 10, List 6
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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:
On top of that list was Aunt Lydia, the ruthless zealot in charge of the handmaids, played so powerfully by Ann Dowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
Harris is no friend of Baier and no debate team zealot.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2024
If you were trying to turn a lay fan into a Caitlin Clark zealot, I don’t know that Saturday’s game would have been the first one you showed them.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2024
“That car changed my life,” Mr. Stielow said, the moment the Ford zealot drove his ’66 Mustang into enemy territory as a G.M. engineering intern in 1988.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
Of my brilliant mother, midwife and entrepreneur; of my eccentric father, junkman and zealot.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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
In the TV movie "Masada," when the Romans are near destroying the previously thought impenetrable wall protecting the Jews, one Zealot wishes aloud for more time to make it stronger.
From US News ● Nov. 19, 2015
The center of their social life was St. Simon the Zealot Anglican Church, the only Christian church in Shiraz.
From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2014
"How can we ever establish the government of God if we never do anything practical?" asked the Zealot.
From Men Called Him Master by Elwyn A. (Elwyn Allen) Smith
Milton and Lyman Stewart were religious zealots who were horrified by the encroachment of modernist ideas on society.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 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
Still, the ubiquity, complexity and accountability tax filing requires make it a good litmus test of the AI zealots and doomsayers’ beliefs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
Instead of more threats from zealots and incendiary statements from members of the Desmond family, it needs some healing, some understanding and some class.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 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
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.
