fanatic
/fəˈnæt.ɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms fanatics fanatick
- adjective Fanatical.
- adjective (obsolete) Showing evidence of possession by a god or demon; frenzied, overzealous.
- noun A person who is zealously enthusiastic for some cause. “A zealot can't change his mind. A fanatic can't change his mind and won't change the subject. —Winston Churchill (attributed)”
Synonyms
Etymology
First attested in 1525. Learned borrowing from Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Pertaining to, or indicating, fanaticism; extravagant in opinions; ultra; unreasonable; excessively enthusiastic, especially on religious subjects; as, fanatic zeal; fanatic notions.
- noun A person affected by excessive enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one who indulges wild and extravagant notions of religion.
Etymology [L. fanaticus inspired by divinity, enthusiastic, frantic, fr. fanum fane: cf. F. fanatique. See Fane.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fanatic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details