1
as in lover
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
football fanatics are pretty much booked up for weekends from Labor Day to Super Bowl Sunday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in partisan
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
once he joined the movement, he became a fanatic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or fanatical
as in extreme
being very far from the center of public opinion
because of her fanatical views, her friends know better than to try to discuss the issues with her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fanatic
Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
The purchaser of Jack Kerouac‘s original On the Road manuscript, famously typed onto a nearly 120-foot scroll of paper, at Christie’s Jim Irsay auction on Thursday is country artist and Kerouac fanatic Zach Bryan.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2026
James McNicholas, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Clubs coached by foreigners and staffed largely by foreign players continue to inspire the same fanatical loyalties as ever.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fanatic
Noun
If so, that advice was not followed by the pro-Khamenei fanatics who turned out thousands of Iranians to support their new leader, who could be taken out like his father was.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
The purchaser of Jack Kerouac‘s original On the Road manuscript, famously typed onto a nearly 120-foot scroll of paper, at Christie’s Jim Irsay auction on Thursday is country artist and Kerouac fanatic Zach Bryan.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The bulk of supporters attending are members of Arsenal Sampa, a local supporters’ group led by fanatical Arsenal fan Jailton, 32.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Clubs coached by foreigners and staffed largely by foreign players continue to inspire the same fanatical loyalties as ever.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fanatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanatic
Noun
-
Theme park lovers who yearn for the mines will have their wish granted in 2027 with the debut of Minecraft World.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
-
One of the team's biggest lovers of shoes, senior Rori Harmon gave her stamp of approval.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
La Foce, a beautiful estate owned by the Origo family, who cultivated the gardens and harbored partisans during the Second World War, is a 15-minute drive away.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Primaries can sometimes be a collective balancing act for voters, between what partisans want in a candidate and the strategic approach of anticipating what the wider electorate might want in a candidate.—
Anthony Salvanto,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that prohibits cities and counties from creating their own heat exposure protections for outdoor workers—a move critics say limits local efforts to address extreme working conditions.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The technology is aimed primarily at reducing the extreme physical strain experienced by artillery crews.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Inspired by the brand’s fan-favorite Aqua Bomb moisturizer, this eye treatment swaps heavy creams for a refreshing water-gel texture that sinks in fast and layers easily under concealer.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Chanting in celebration, Illinois fans basked in a second-round victory in the tournament over Virginia Commonwealth University.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Disappointment and mistrust of these authorities led to the emergence of armed militants who kidnapped oil workers and sabotaged installations as a means of gaining access to oil resources.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Some critics also blamed the hard left for fueling tensions after a far-right militant was beaten to death in the city of Lyon last month.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion quickly fell on the Boko Haram jihadi group, which in 2009 launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria to enforce their radical interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
With powerful visual storytelling, the film will interweave the rigorous scientific research and poetry of Lucy’s writing, with personal stories from a diverse range of contributors to offer a radical and profound examination of maternal metamorphosis.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The same elements—lack of lighting, cell phone service, and CCTV—that make a place enticing for outdoor enthusiasts are easily exploited by criminals.—
Katie Jackson,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The annual convention for horror movie enthusiasts returns March 20-22 at the Sharonville Convention Center.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Unfortunately, the garbage that RFK spewed during his time as a private sector anti-vaccine crusader and is now trying to make government policy as the nation’s top public health official has had vaccine skepticism growing nationwide, with deadly consequences.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Stanford University biologist Paul Ehrlich, who died March 13, 2026, in Palo Alto, California, was a scientific crusader whose dire predictions about population growth, world hunger and environmental collapse made headlines and sparked controversy for decades.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fanatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanatic. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
