FANATICISM Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

fanaticism

noun

Definition of fanaticism

as in zeal

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Dissimilar Words

as in dogmatism

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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 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

De Hek, who exposes transnational scams on his blog and YouTube channel with relentless zeal, told me Pakistan’s fake companies offering literary services operate in a similar fashion to India’s scam call centers.

— Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026
Hartnett hits d’ose hard Ds with zeal, making every singular verb plural while wearing the hell out of his fisherman’s hats.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 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

This latest obsession from Japan focuses on a plump, fresh finish, one that calls to mind the softness and suppleness of the famous Japanese dessert for which it is named.

— Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Two groups on Beirut City Pop, Force and Games, are fronted by Saadi, and each shows different sides of his obsessions.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of obsession

Noun

David Standridge’s philosophy is all about harvesting what’s plentiful and turning it into something delicious.

— Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
This time, master perfumer Dominique Ropion and perfumer Meabh McCurtin set out to create a classic, enduring fragrance, steering clear of fleeting trends—an approach consistent with Merit’s philosophy for Retrospect.

— Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of philosophy

Noun

After the wisdom of America's most popular sport was questioned over its insistence to play its first-ever game in France in the wake of a Saturday filled with protests and violence, the NFL kicked off inside Paris's Stade de France on Sunday.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
This takes more chutzpah than Ohtani’s insistence to continue as a two-way player.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of insistence

Noun

The band frequently steers the poppy songwriting offroad by leaning into distortion and ambience, creating moments of both near-mania and hazy unease.

— Sue Park, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
But this time, the AI wager is concentrated in far fewer companies than the railway mania ever was.

— Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of mania

Noun

Returning to the table, Walzer said that a legal scholar had recently used the jus ex bello doctrine in an op-ed to argue that the war had become so costly to Ukrainians that their government was now obliged to make concessions to stop the fighting.

— Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
These new lines of thought, which have gained prominence among influential defense intellectuals and policy experts close to the Kremlin over the past year do not need to be endorsed in formal security doctrine to matter.

— Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of doctrine

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“Fanaticism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanaticism. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fanaticism

noun

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