ZEALOT Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

zealot

noun

ˈze-lət

Definition of zealot

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 zealot March 13, 2026 For Gen Z neophytes and hardcore fans overseas (South Asian and Nigerian Mike zealots apparently have a lot to say on the matter), the idea of MJ/Prince ever being a rivalry is laughable. — Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026 The drama takes place in a dystopian future where the American government has been overthrown by evangelical religious zealots. — Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026 Bo-Katan explains the Mandalorians who raised Din and taught him to never show his face are religious zealots known as the Children of the Watch, who broke from Mandalorian society. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 16 May 2026 The software, known as Model Capability Initiative, or MCI, suddenly turned people across the company into privacy zealots, a legal staffer says. — Paresh Dave, Wired News, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for zealot

Recent Examples of Synonyms for zealot

Noun

Exhibited for the first time outside of Sarajevo, the churning Socialist Realist homage invokes Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People in figuring partisans heroically overcoming their would-be Nazi aggressors.

— Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 10 July 2026
Reynolds tracks the willingness of northern partisans—Carl Schurz, Horace Greeley, Lyman Trumbull, and even Sumner himself—to abandon that cause by the dwindling references to Jamestown and Plymouth.

— James Traub, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

Definition of partisan

Noun

Houthi militants based in Yemen claimed to have struck two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday, days after the group announced a naval blockade on Saudi ships.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
Global oil prices on Thursday crossed $100 a barrel for the first time since May, after Houthi militants in Yemen claimed to have struck two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.

— Max Zahn, ABC News, 23 July 2026

Definition of militant

Noun

Lina Khan, an antitrust crusader who targeted Big Tech companies during her run as head of the Federal Trade Commission, has been named chair of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 July 2026
The division is led by Harmeet Dhillon, a Californian and a conservative legal crusader, who made her name bringing legal challenges against many of the state’s institutions and once served as the chair of the San Francisco Republican Party.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026

Definition of crusader

Noun

Brent Fannin, 38, was the first activist to discover the FWC was pulling critics’ DAVID records.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
Maybe these slippages only matter to the Whoopi obsessives who know too much about her fractal aspect, as host, actor, comedian, playwright, producer, activist, and the rest.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 July 2026

Definition of activist

Noun

The Northernmost Tree For now, most commercial breadfruit groves are still setting root, leaving the growing to the same type of people who once introduced it to the region — the plant fanatics.

— Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
Democrats, whose brand is viewed as too left-wing in five out of six Senate-battleground states, should be similarly wary of fanatics trying to infiltrate their ranks.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026

Definition of fanatic

Browse Nearby Words

zeal

zealot

zealotry

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Zealot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zealot. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of zealot

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on zealot

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

spindrift

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes