fanaticism

noun

Definition of fanaticismnext
1
as in zeal

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2
as in dogmatism

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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
  1. zeal
  2. dogmatism
  3. obsession
  4. philosophy
  5. infatuation
  6. insistence
  7. mania
  8. doctrine
Noun
  • But the current efflorescence can perhaps most be credited to the zeal of online communities whose social dynamics encourage avid, savvy viewership.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Even worse was the Great Chinese Famine of 1959–61, which was brought on by severe mismanagement amid Mao Zedong’s revolutionary zeal.
    — Caitlin Welsh, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 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
  • For King, the film represented an opportunity to not just translate her online charisma into feature acting, but to reclaim some of the power that can disappear when a creator becomes the object of someone else’s obsession.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The brand hit shelves as consumers’ obsession with protein was kicking into high gear.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of obsession
Noun
  • For anyone whose customers and staff are drawn from the public rather than from philosophy departments, that gap is worth keeping in view.
    — ESMT Berlin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Democratic socialism is a different political philosophy entirely.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of philosophy
Noun
  • They were first popularized in Georgian England as small tokens of affection, infatuation or mourning, and examples are scattered across major museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • In anticipation of the birth of his son, Ferguson had kicked a nagging heroin habit, trading his addiction to drugs for an infatuation with activism.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of infatuation
Noun
  • The author warns that humanity's insistence on supremacy could lead to conflict with advanced AI, even provoking existential threats.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The deliberative, thoughtful process of remaking the nation’s capital in the early 20th century bears little resemblance to Trump’s insistence on remaking the capital in his image.
    — Jennifer Tucker, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of insistence
Noun
  • Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious medical emergency characterized by severe, rapid onset psychiatric episodes such as mania, depression or hallucinations.
    — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • All the mining operations have pivoted their best GPUs to the data center mania.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of mania
Noun
  • Skinner pleaded guilty under the Alford doctrine to health insurance fraud.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • None of these developments establishes a new legal doctrine, and the examples do not share a single policy objective.
    — Alonzo Martinez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of doctrine

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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on fanaticism

Nglish: Translation of fanaticism for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fanaticism

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