FANATICISM Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

fanaticism

noun

Definition of fanaticism

as in zeal

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

as in dogmatism

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 fanaticism But the beauty of the beautiful game is that millions of dollars and people don’t guarantee success, that there’s a difference between a soccer-playing nation and a soccer nation, that passion and culture and fanaticism matter. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026 Even after the glow of the Cup has faded, opportunities to plug into Scotland’s football fanaticism will continue. — Laura Dannen Redman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 May 2026 Global warming led to international tensions, and a mixture of religious fanaticism and failures in governance gave way to nuclear annihilation. — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 24 May 2026 Even OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, the current darlings of generative-AI fanaticism, will become subdued if their firms survive. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fanaticism

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanaticism

Noun

The Leipzig scenes are both ephemeral and integral; later, Taro will speculate that if the Germans had had the same revolutionary zeal as the Spanish, Hitler might have been defeated.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026
Even the newcomers to this season’s Bears quickly noticed a way of doing things that felt purposeful and full of zeal.

— Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of zeal

Noun

When authenticity becomes uncompromising, candor turns belligerent, consistency becomes rigid, or principled decision-making morphs into dogmatism, even the best intentions can backfire.

— Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
By staying so close to black metal’s core sound, Marchenko does more to undermine the dogmatism—both racial and aesthetic—of Vikernes and his ilk than a more obviously experimental project might.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of dogmatism

Noun

Centuries before the internet infiltrated almost every aspect of daily life, Swift described how scientific and technological advances could lead to chronic distraction by producing an obsession with what could be rather than what is.

— Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
An obsession with discipline—both in the process and finished pieces—has driven her to deliver numerous competition wins for saddlery and wearable arts, and exhibition honors at London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

— Clare Coulson, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of obsession

Noun

The following year, Luis Enrique arrived, and Ruiz says the players responded well to his fellow countryman’s philosophy and style of play.

— Tom Burrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
There’s a certain philosophy to dressing the body in Japan where the clothing obscures the body.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of philosophy

Noun

Her music revealed a profound belief in the goodness of others and a witty, fiery insistence on remaining true to herself.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2026
Despite Bret’s passionate insistence that his classmate is a serial killer, Croft tells him Robert is a good kid from a good family and sends him back to class.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of insistence

Noun

But organizations built around the battleship did not abandon decades of doctrine, expertise and status simply because something better had arrived.

— Pankaj Prasoon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Driscoll was widely seen as less combative and positioned himself as a driving force for modernizing the Army through updating its doctrine and integrating robots, drones and other emerging technologies into the force.

— Luis Martinez, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of doctrine

Browse Nearby Words

fanatically

fanaticism

fanaticisms

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fanaticism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanaticism. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fanaticism

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on fanaticism

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

empirical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes