as in partisan
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to name-calling and scare tactics
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Recent Examples of zealot
In Spanish, the line is gendered, as any bilingual Alcaraz zealot may point out.
—
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
Blending a tense crime thriller structure with absurdist, deadpan humor, the film follows a right-wing zealot who travels to a sleep rural town to assassinate a progressive woman journalist – but runs into a series of darkly comic encounters along the way.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 12 May 2026
The sociology professor was also a jazz zealot with a little record collection at home.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
In his writing, Plante can come off as a zealot.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for zealot
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
Blending a tense crime thriller structure with absurdist, deadpan humor, the film follows a right-wing zealot who travels to a sleep rural town to assassinate a progressive woman journalist – but runs into a series of darkly comic encounters along the way.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 12 May 2026
The sociology professor was also a jazz zealot with a little record collection at home.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
In his writing, Plante can come off as a zealot.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for zealot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zealot
Noun
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The mood was jovial, and any banter between the English and Croatian partisans was playful.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
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His lone goal delighted the Swiss partisans, who were banished to the second level of the stadium.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
Noun
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Overnight on July 4, 2025, more than a dozen heavily armed antifa militants belonging to a Dallas-area antifa chapter ambushed Homeland Security personnel guarding the ICE holding site near Fort Worth.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
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Iran, which has armed Hamas, offers support to the militants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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The book is full of stories of villains, like the venomous heroin that took so many of Seattle’s crusaders as well as the music industry that never quite understood where Soundgarden belonged.—
Selena Fragassi,
SPIN,
9 June 2026
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Fearless and willing to brawl for her convictions, Teela, who is the biological daughter of the Sorceress and adopted daughter of the Man-At-Arms, teaches He-Man how to be a crusader of Eternia.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Noun
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In 2016, at 89 years old, Lee, a former teacher and lifelong activist, walked from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to the nation's capital in an effort to get Juneteenth -- commemorating the end of slavery in the United States -- named a national holiday.—
Tesfaye Negussie,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
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Opal Lee has held many titles in her nearly 100 years – mother, grandmother, teacher, activist.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Its latest, the HM12, is a $384,000 futuristic piece that would send any Marvel fanatic into a frenzy—a watch that doubles as a robot.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
12 June 2026
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Like many of the top execs at ESPN/ABC, Disney’s global ad sales president is a long-suffering Knicks fanatic, and her team’s astonishing comeback has placed them within arm’s reach of their first title in 53 years.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zealot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zealot. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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