cultist

noun

Definition of cultistnext
as in zealot

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cultist These are artifacts for cultists, to be sure, but how big is the clique that has been waiting to hear all this unvaulted material? — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026 Islamists battled for their own theocratic nation, and bands of Christian cultists—whom locals, naming them according to their most notorious act, called chop-chop—severed the heads of those deemed unholy in villages and towns across Mindanao. — Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 The Director warns Eve that this is a rogue group of lawless cultists and orders her not to pursue the matter. — ArsTechnica, 1 Jan. 2026 Documentaries like The Vow and Escaping Twin Flames expose the cults among us, and fictional accounts like The Girls and The Last Housewife dive deep into the cultist’s psyche. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for cultist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cultist
  1. zealot
  2. fundamentalist
Noun
  • Continue reading … POWER RECLAIMED — Congress moves to unshackle states from California's ‘climate zealots’.
    — , FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Democrats looking for a way to reclaim their party can find inspiration in the career of Neil Kinnock, who in the mid-1980s rescued the British Labour Party from a determined band of sectarian zealots.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Definition of zealot
Noun
  • Their fundamentalist, literal understanding of the Bible is one that drives them to take bigger, bolder actions to affirm their belief that the United States is a Christian nation.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
  • The documentary follows Christine Marie, a former fundamentalist who became an expert in cults, and her husband, Tolga Katas, embedding themselves among the Samuelite Group with the hopes of garnering evidence to bring to the police.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of fundamentalist

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cultist
cultists
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Cite this Entry

“Cultist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cultist. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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