ideologue

noun

ideo·logue | \ˈī-dē-ə-ˌlȯg,

-ˌläg\

variants: or less commonly idealogue

Definition of ideologue

1 : an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology

2 : an impractical idealist : theorist

Examples of ideologue in a Sentence

as long as there are ideologues controlling both sides of the aisle, legislative compromise is out of the question the revolutionaries proved to be impractical ideologues who had no idea how to run a country

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, party ideologues say, why not Marx as a healthy alternative? — Washington Post, "China’s Xi free trader to world, champion of Marx at home," 5 May 2018 Ryan was a conservative-movement ideologue devoted to supply-side economics. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Fanatic, Fraud, Factotum: The Rise and Fall of Paul Ryan," 11 Apr. 2018 In reality, Lopez Obrador is more pragmatic than the more hardcore ideologues. — Kate Linthicum, latimes.com, "Rocky under Trump, U.S.-Mexico relations will be tested under new president Lopez Obrador," 3 July 2018 Not coincidentally, all seven are considered reliable ideologues. — Brandon Bartels, Washington Post, "It took conservatives 50 years to get a reliable majority on the Supreme Court. Here are 3 reasons why.," 29 June 2018 The success of moderate candidates in the Democratic primaries suggests this is making the party more pragmatic and mindful of party unity than Mr Sanders, an ideologue who is not a Democratic Party member, might like. — The Economist, "Berned out," 7 June 2018 Partisans and ideologues on both ends of the political spectrum have the passion (and make the time) to dominate mainstream political debate in person and online. — Joe Lieberman, Time, "Social Media Is Distorting What Politicians Believe Is Real," 16 May 2018 Garry lacks the intellectual depth to be a Bannonite ideologue. — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, "McMaster and Commander," 23 Apr. 2018 For free-market ideologues, government schools are always a last resort and available to the poor. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "What and who is fueling the movement to privatize public education — and why you should care," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ideologue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for ideologue

ideologue

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ideologue

: someone who very strongly supports and is guided by the ideology of a particular group

See the full definition for ideologue in the English Language Learners Dictionary

Keep scrolling for more

Comments on ideologue

What made you want to look up ideologue? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

superjacent

lying above or upon

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz

Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games