as in adherents
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another
a highly influential economist whose acolytes can be found at many major universities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of acolytes
Ann and her acolytes journey to America to find more followers—a portion of the tale that feels more adrift but then finds its footing, largely thanks to another musical interlude.
—
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2025
Some acolytes have even gotten tattoos of the studio’s logo.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Andreessen would agree with Abundance acolytes that the first step is to eliminate unnecessary regulation.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
So while some Barnes students rebelled, others became acolytes.
—Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Often imitated but never duplicated, this show’s universal influence has stood the test of time more than any other title on this list and continues to be reinterpreted and reinvented for both new fans and older acolytes.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
The second night, the Manson acolytes killed Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in similar fashion, leaving bloody ominous messages on walls and over doorways.
—TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
Where Musk and his acolytes see speed and efficiency, Democratic lawmakers see corruption.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
If Alexander was the progenitor of the messianic imperialism that Putin expresses today, Alexander’s most imaginative acolytes were poets and novelists, not his court propagandists.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2025
Some acolytes have even gotten tattoos of the studio’s logo.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Andreessen would agree with Abundance acolytes that the first step is to eliminate unnecessary regulation.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
So while some Barnes students rebelled, others became acolytes.
—Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Often imitated but never duplicated, this show’s universal influence has stood the test of time more than any other title on this list and continues to be reinterpreted and reinvented for both new fans and older acolytes.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
The second night, the Manson acolytes killed Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in similar fashion, leaving bloody ominous messages on walls and over doorways.
—TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
Where Musk and his acolytes see speed and efficiency, Democratic lawmakers see corruption.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
If Alexander was the progenitor of the messianic imperialism that Putin expresses today, Alexander’s most imaginative acolytes were poets and novelists, not his court propagandists.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acolytes
Noun
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Trump and his hogmen are co-opting actual Nazi lingo from the gutter of the internet, speaking in references only Fox News viewers and Q-Anon adherents can parse, and rehabilitating the r-word as some sort of edgy pose that the rest of us learned was cruel in middle school.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
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After the Great Black Migration in the 1920s, our city was one of the centers of the Ku Klux Klan’s revival as the strongest populist movement of the decade, claiming 5 million adherents, with 50,000 in Chicago alone.—
Jackson Potter,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Strangers turned to followers and views into food orders.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
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Tate has amassed more than 10 million followers on X and hundreds of thousands more on other platforms like Telegram and Truth Social.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But witnessing that scene Sunday night, even the most casual fan among a platoon of 50,000 disciples would grin at this once-implausible sight.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
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If The White Lotus season three was an object of worship, then my friends and I were loyal disciples, and anyone’s living room was our temple.—
Nikki Sternberg,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acolytes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acolytes. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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