fanatic

[ fuh-nat-ik ]
/ fəˈnæt ɪk /

noun

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

adjective

Origin of fanatic

1515–25; < Latin fānāticus pertaining to a temple, inspired by orgiastic rites, frantic, equivalent to fān(um) temple + -āticus, equivalent to -āt(us) -ate1 + -icus -ic

SYNONYMS FOR fanatic

1 enthusiast, zealot, bigot, hothead, militant. 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 WORDS FROM fanatic

non·fa·nat·ic, noun, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH fanatic

fanatic frantic frenetic (see synonym study at the current entry) fanatic phonetic

Example sentences from the Web for fanatic

British Dictionary definitions for fanatic

fanatic
/ (fəˈnætɪk) /

noun

a person whose enthusiasm or zeal for something is extreme or beyond normal limits
informal a person devoted to a particular hobby or pastime; fan a jazz fanatic

adjective

a variant of fanatical

Word Origin for fanatic

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