zealot

[zel-uht]

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.

Zealot

¹

/ 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

zealot

²

/ ˈzɛlət /

noun

1. an immoderate, fanatical, or extremely zealous adherent to a cause, esp a religious one

Other Word Forms

• underzealot noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Zealot¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Zealot¹

C16: from Late Latin zēlōtēs, from Greek, from zēloun to be zealous, from zēlos _zeal

Synonym Study

See fanatic.

Example Sentences

Jumping to the storyline’s present, we watch Isaac torturing one of the religious zealots the Wolves are warring against, known as Seraphites or Scars, by searing the man’s skin with a scorching-hot saucepan.

From Salon

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

Its activists have been derided as attention-seeking zealots and vandals and it is loathed by many for its disruptive direct action tactics.

From BBC

He also intends to dismantle the Department of Education, calling the agency “a big con job” infiltrated by “radicals, zealots, and Marxists” that misused taxpayer dollars.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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