ideologue

noun

ideo·​logue ˈī-dē-ə-ˌlȯg 

-ˌläg

variants or less commonly idealogue

1

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

2

: an impractical idealist : theorist

Synonyms of ideologue

• partisan
• militant
• activist
• crusader

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

Unlike Trong, an ideologue who prioritized party discipline, Lam has focused on economic performance and repeatedly emphasized the need to empower the private sector and move Vietnam beyond a growth model built on cheap labor, exports and foreign investment. —Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026

Some of the Catholic and Jewish characters are caricatures, too, but this anonymous ideologue is a bit too understated for someone wanting to conscript another into deadly service and could benefit from the absurdist flair Cash deploys elsewhere. —Niela Orr, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026

Safe seats reward ideologues, marginalize moderate voices, and intensify polarization. —Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026

The victim was labeled a domestic terrorist, a radical and violent left-wing ideologue. —Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French idéologue, back-formation from idéologie

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 2