Meaning & use
religious fanatic
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Meaning
nouncountabledisapproving
A person whose religious beliefs are so extreme and uncompromising that they refuse to tolerate other views or may act harmfully.
Grammar: Countable: a religious fanatic, two religious fanatics.
Patterns
- a religious fanatic who does something
The novel's villain is a religious fanatic who thinks violence is his duty.
Her uncle was called a religious fanatic because he refused to speak to anyone of another faith.
Police warned that a lone religious fanatic had been making threats online.
Word forms
| plural | religious fanatics |
|---|
Common combinations
- a dangerous religious fanatic
- The film portrays him as a dangerous religious fanatic.
- a bunch of religious fanatics
- The protesters were dismissed as a bunch of religious fanatics.
- become a religious fanatic
- After the loss, he withdrew and became a religious fanatic.
- accuse someone of being a religious fanatic
- Critics accused the leader of being a religious fanatic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- zealot
- A zealot is passionately devoted to a cause and may be less openly violent than a fanatic.
- extremist
- An extremist holds radical political or religious views and is not always focused on religion.
- bigot
- A bigot is intolerant toward others in general, not necessarily out of religious devotion.
Opposites
Word family
- fanatic noun
- a person with extreme enthusiasm or belief
- fanatical adjective
- extremely devoted or intense
- fanaticism noun
- extreme devotion to a belief
- religious adjective
- relating to faith or worship
Commonly confused: religious fanatic or devout believer?
religious fanatic vs devout believer
A devout believer is deeply committed to a faith in a respectful way; a religious fanatic is extreme and intolerant.
Practice
Which person is best described as a religious fanatic?
Choose one answer.
A fanatic is extreme and intolerant, so only the person who attacks others fits. The other options describe ordinary, harmless involvement with religion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “religious fanatic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.