ZEALOTS Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

zealots

noun

plural of zealot

as in partisans

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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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 zealots Garrett says the new protocols acknowledge that academic institutions have the responsibility to take steps for the safety of their researchers and protect them from potentially dangerous interactions with conspiracy theorists and other reactionary zealots. — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 12 June 2026 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 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 apocalyptic religious zealots who ran the Iranian police state were on the verge of complete construction of a nuclear bomb. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026 Clara Molot talks to the zealots who are holding the line. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026 That title goes to the government of messianic zealots, Arab-hating nationalists and anti-modern ultra-Orthodox Israelis put together by Netanyahu to keep himself in power. — Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2026 Public health often responds that MAHA supporters like Elizabeth, Melinda, and Nancy have been hoodwinked by social media influencers, grifters, and anti-vaccine zealots. — Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026 In rip-roaring zombie sequel, Sir Jimmy Crystal leads a gang of murderous zealots known as the Jimmies. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for zealots

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 partisans

Noun

Investors were also digesting news that the Houthi militants in Yemen declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia.

— Sam Meredith,Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 20 July 2026
People in northwest Nigeria are caught between regular attacks by bandit groups who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and Islamist militants who have been expanding their territory.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026

Definition of militants

Noun

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
The facility remains popular among anti-immigrant crusaders, and Attorney General Uthmeier’s campaign store sells Alligator Alcatraz bumper stickers, T-shirts, and caps.

— Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Definition of crusaders

Noun

The California State Fair and Embarc’s team are honoring the activists who were on the front line of the fight throughout the festival’s run this year.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 19 July 2026
The issue has come to consume much of the party’s energy, with hardly a Democratic event going by without disruptions from pro-Palestinian activists.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2026

Definition of activists

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 fanatics

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zealotry

zealots

zealous

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“Zealots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zealots. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of zealots

noun

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