fundamentalist

1 of 2

noun

fun·​da·​men·​tal·​ist ¦fən-də-¦men-tə-list 

plural -s

1

sometimes capitalized : an adherent or proponent of Protestant fundamentalism

2

: an extreme conservative

especially : one who attacks any deviation from certain doctrines and practices he considers essential (as to a religious, political, or educational system)

a political fundamentalist … could reduce the shadings of any political controversy into a black-and-white conflict between free enterprise and socialism

—Time

3

often capitalized : a member of a small dissident Mormon sect continuing to practice polygamy after its outlawry in 1890

fundamentalist

2 of 2

adjective

fun·​da·​men·​tal·​ist ¦fən-də-¦men-tə-list 

variants or fundamentalistic

¦fən-də-ˌmen-tə-¦li-stik 

: of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism

comparing the neoorthodox with the fundamentalist position

a fundamentalist revival preacher

an economic outlook strongly fundamentalist in tone

Word History

Etymology

Noun

fundamental entry 1 + -ist

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Rhymes for fundamentalist

• instrumentalist
• orientalist
• transcendentalist
• environmentalist
• experimentalist
• gentlest