plural cultists
: a member of a cult: such as
a
: a devotee or member of a religious cult
In 1826 … Shakers were persecuted as cultists distinguished by their use of dance in worship … and their belief in their founder, Mother Ann, as equal to Jesus.—
Robert Minkoff
Robert Minkoff
b
: one who exhibits great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, etc.
… at a time when the Kinks don't even have an American record deal, it's heartening for aging Kinks cultists that Ray Davies has found a domestic publisher for X-Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography, a book that was published in England last year.—David Wild
David WildAlthough Pierce has seen reruns of the actress's films, he insists he is not a [Marilyn] Monroe cultist.—David Wallace
David WallaceIf the paranoid cultists and survivalists are right, and the apocalypse is right around the corner, who do we want leading the nation through the pestilence, famine and plagues of locusts?—Sparkle Hayter
Sparkle HayterExamples of cultist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Watch Krampus on Peacock The Lodge A happy holiday turns cold when two children are snowed in during Christmas at a remote winter cabin with their soon-to-be stepmother (Riley Keough), whose visions of her cultist past trigger terrifying behavior for the trio in this 2019 horror thriller.
—Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Peeking through shattered windows and cracks in the walls, Katja witnesses cultists driving metal spikes into their flesh and hanging themselves from hooks like the Cenobites from Hellraiser in an attempt to drive away the allure of sleep with unadulterated pain.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Dec. 2025
The PayPal cofounder then turns South Park into a surveillance state, commandeering all the students' data to compile a list of cultists.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2025
His obsession with the numbers results in Thiel turning South Park into a surveillance state and commandeering all the students’ data to compile a list of cultists.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Now, 50 years after their breakup, the Raspberries still count as scrappy underdogs, at least in the eyes of the cultists who keep the band’s legend alive.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Players will visit stunning new locations, solve intricate puzzles, battle dangerous cultists, and encounter an epic new enemy in a classically thrilling Indiana Jones adventure.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
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Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Peeking through shattered windows and cracks in the walls, Katja witnesses cultists driving metal spikes into their flesh and hanging themselves from hooks like the Cenobites from Hellraiser in an attempt to drive away the allure of sleep with unadulterated pain.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Dec. 2025
The PayPal cofounder then turns South Park into a surveillance state, commandeering all the students' data to compile a list of cultists.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2025
His obsession with the numbers results in Thiel turning South Park into a surveillance state and commandeering all the students’ data to compile a list of cultists.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Now, 50 years after their breakup, the Raspberries still count as scrappy underdogs, at least in the eyes of the cultists who keep the band’s legend alive.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Players will visit stunning new locations, solve intricate puzzles, battle dangerous cultists, and encounter an epic new enemy in a classically thrilling Indiana Jones adventure.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cultist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultist. Accessed 29 Dec. 2025.
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