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fanatic

fa·na·tic

UK/fəˈnæt.ɪk/ US/ˈfæ.nət.ɪk/ uncommon obsolete
noun (1) adjective (1)

noun

1.

a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm (as for a cause)

  • “A fanatic is one who can”
  • “t change the subject” -Winston Churchill
Synonyms

adjective

1.

marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea

  • “rabid isolationist”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

First attested in 1525. Learned borrowing from Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique.

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Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.