zealot

American  

[zel-uht] / ˈzɛl ət /

noun

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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Related Words

See fanatic.

Other Word Forms

• underzealot noun

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”; zeal ) + -tēs agent suffix

Example Sentences

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

A sort of penance, where by reading all the nasty comments under every post she assuages some of her guilt, as a zealot whips himself bloody to atone for sin?

From Slate • Jan. 31, 2024

Cleveland was a boyhood bluegrass zealot, not a prodigy.

From New York Times • Feb. 28, 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

Related Words

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