zealot

noun zeal·ot \ ˈze-lət \

|Updated on: 30 Jul 2018

Definition of zealot

1 : a zealous person; especially : a fanatical partisan

a religious zealot

2 capitalized : a member of a fanatical sect arising in Judea during the first century a.d. and militantly opposing the Roman domination of Palestine

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Examples of zealot in a Sentence

zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to name-calling and scare tactics

Recent Examples of zealot from the Web

People don’t know how to confront these evils, which come in nearly every direction, in the form of theological zealots, demagogic populists, avowed racists, and trollish misogynists.

— franklin foer, The Atlantic, "The Death of the Public Square," 6 July 2018
Despite what the zealots say, there’s lots of data suggesting humans can survive — and even thrive — on myriad eating patterns.

— julia belluz, Vox, "This Mediterranean diet study was hugely impactful. The science just fell apart.," 20 June 2018
In Onion’s telling, John Brown is a wild-eyed zealot, a cartoonish madman who talks like Yosemite Sam and prays for hours on end but whose madness and prayers are nevertheless devoted to the abolition of slavery.

— WSJ, "Randall Fuller," 1 June 2018
But when should even the most fervent late-round quarterback zealot consider taking one of the top passers?

— michael beller, SI.com, "Tips to Help You Ace Any Fantasy Football Draft," 4 July 2018
Violent zealots, such as the shooter who killed six Muslims in a Quebec City mosque to protest Mr Trudeau’s welcoming of refugees, are even rarer.

— The Economist, "Anti-elitist politicians in Canada are courting immigrants," 19 Apr. 2018
Her proud ignorance and insistence that bigotry is just a result of being plainspoken paved the way for a slough of zealots in future Republican presidential primaries, all the way to Donald Trump's campaign seven years later.

— luke darby, GQ, "The Roy Moores of the World Aren't Going Away," 10 Jan. 2018
The satire lands on obvious Miami targets — the rich, the shallow, the venal, the felonious, status seekers and zealots of every stripe —and the punches connect with all the subtlety of a storm surge.

— miamiherald, "Tom Wolfe’s ‘Back to Blood’ revels in excess — just like Miami | Miami Herald," 19 Oct. 2012
One of them was identified as Matthew the tax collector, another as Simon the zealot.

— daniel burke, CNN, "Southern Baptists, Mike Pence and the quest for unity," 14 June 2018

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

Did You Know?

In the 1st century A.D., a fanatical sect arose in Judaea to oppose the Roman domination of Palestine. Known as the Zealots, they fought their most famous battle at the great fortress of Masada, where 1,000 defenders took their own lives just as the Romans were about to storm the fort. Over the years, zealot came to mean anyone who is passionately devoted to a cause. The adjective zealous may describe someone who's merely dedicated and energetic ("a zealous investigator", "zealous about combating inflation", etc.). But zealot (like its synonym fanatic) and zealotry (like its synonym fanaticism) are used disapprovingly—even while Jews everywhere still honor the memory of those who died at Masada.

Origin and Etymology of zealot

Late Latin zelotes, from Greek zēlōtēs, from zēlos

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First Known Use: 1537

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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zealot Synonyms

ZEALOT Defined for English Language Learners

zealot

noun

Definition of zealot for English Language Learners

: a person who has very strong feelings about something (such as religion or politics) and who wants other people to have those feelings : a zealous person