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

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

However, I will mention that the words “right wing” and “zealot” and “micro-dosing” were part of the narrative.

From Salon

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

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

Although a few zealots took issue with Dever’s selection, she lends the right proportion of jaggedness and focus to a complicated figure that needs to sustain our interest for the long term.

From Salon

Related Words

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