adherent

1 of 2

noun

ad·​her·​ent ad-ˈhir-ənt 

əd-

: one who adheres to something: such as

a

: a follower of a leader, party, or profession

Freud's adherents

b

: a believer in or advocate especially of a particular idea or church

adherents of Christianity

adherents of socialism

adherent

2 of 2

adjective

1

: able or tending to adhere

an adherent material

2

: connected or associated with especially by contract

nations adherent to the treaty

3

: adnate

adherently adverb

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Stick With Adherent

Just as tape adheres to paper, a person may adhere to a cause, a faith, or a belief. Thus, you may be an adherent of Hinduism, an adherent of environmentalism, or an adherent of the Republican Party. A plan for cutting taxes always attracts adherents easily, regardless of what the cuts may result in.

Synonyms

Noun

• disciple
• follower
• apostle
• supporter
• missionary

Adjective

• adhesive
• sticky

Choose the Right Synonym for adherent

follower, adherent, disciple, partisan mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another.

follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

Examples of adherent in a Sentence

Noun

an adherent of free trade

the Flat Earth Society surely doesn't have many adherents

Adjective

the bandage is made from a mildly adherent fiber

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

According to tradition, the incumbent chooses his successor, and is then — so adherents believe — reincarnated in that person’s body. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 July 2025

This trails both Muslims and Hindus, who each retain 99 percent of their adherents from childhood. —Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025

Adjective

At my organization, ICL, 75% of clients served by IMT have become stably housed by our teams and 67% are adherent with medication, with an additional 14% agreeing to try medication. —Jody Rudin, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025

For example, in the HIV disease area, patients on single tablet regimens are more adherent and persistent than those on multiple tablet treatments. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin adhaerent-, adhaerens, going back to Latin, present participle of adhaerēre "to adhere"

Adjective

Middle English aherdaunt, adherent, borrowed from Anglo-French aheirdant, going back to Latin adhaerent-, adhaerens, present participle of adhaerēre "to adhere"

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for adherent

• coherent
• inherent
• incoherent

Kids Definition

adherent

1 of 2 adjective

ad·​her·​ent ad-ˈhir-ənt 

əd-

: able or tending to adhere

adherent

2 of 2 noun

: a person who adheres to a leader, belief, or group