VOTARY Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

votary

noun

ˈvō-tə-rē

Definition of votary

as in adherent

one who follows the opinions or teachings of another a votary of the religious leader

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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 votary But the fate of the votary is to require and receive a constant renewal of faith. — Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023 Many remember the Cultural Revolution as a time of Red Guard excess—of the people terrorizing the votaries of the party. — Mary Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023 The Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker has long been a loud votary of progress. — Samuel Moyn, The New Republic, 19 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples of Synonyms for votary

Noun

Baric worked closely with researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which many adherents to the lab-leak theory posit as the source of the pandemic; one contingent thinks that Baric might have been the creator of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

— Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Many liberals had been disciplined to adopt methods that purported to strictly confine legal interpretation, only to discover that their most prominent adherents, whether covertly or unconsciously, had other plans.

— Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 July 2026

Definition of adherent

Noun

Mascots, once an afterthought, are celebrities—Gritty, the beguiling ogre that represents Philadelphia’s hockey team, the Flyers, has significantly more Instagram followers than any of the team’s players.

— Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Johnson, known as DreamDoll Brii on social media, was a budding influencer with more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and more than 500,000 on her TikTok account _itgirbri.

— Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2026

Definition of follower

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votarists

votary

vote

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“Votary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/votary. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of votary

noun

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