fanatic

[fuh-nat-ik] /fəˈnæt ɪk/
noun
1.
a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.
adjective
2.
fanatical.
Origin
1515-25; < Latin fānāticus pertaining to a temple, inspired by orgiastic rites, frantic, equivalent to fān(um) temple + -āticus, equivalent to -āt(us) -ate1 + -icus -ic
Related forms
nonfanatic, noun, adjective
Can be confused
fanatic, frantic, frenetic (see synonym study at the current entry)
fanatic, phonetic.
Synonyms
1. enthusiast, zealot, bigot, hothead, militant. Fanatic, zealot, militant, devotee refer to persons showing more than ordinary support for, adherence to, or interest in a cause, point of view, or activity. Fanatic and zealot both suggest excessive or overweening devotion to a cause or belief. Fanatic further implies unbalanced or obsessive behavior: a wild-eyed fanatic. Zealot, only slightly less unfavorable in implication than fanatic, implies single-minded partisanship: a tireless zealot for tax reform. Militant stresses vigorous, aggressive support for or opposition to a plan or ideal and suggests a combative stance. Devotee is a milder term than any of the foregoing, suggesting enthusiasm but not to the exclusion of other interests or possible points of view: a jazz devotee.
Examples from the web for fanatic
  • Turning a haircut into a matter of grave moral significance is the work of a fanatic.
  • With six billion people in the world, there's no predicting what some cunning fanatic or narcissistic despot might do.
  • Yet another fanatic who thinks if he says a lie with enough emphasis it suddenly becomes the truth.
  • Regardless, it is your paranoid ranting that clearly paints you as an anti-science fanatic.
  • In a world that has been remade by a band of fanatic hijackers, the notion of nuclear deterrence seems increasingly quaint.
  • The rest of the solution came down to a fanatic quest for efficiency.
  • We've even been introduced to a lonely, violent fanatic with weird skin.
  • His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic.
  • Each excursion helped mold him into the fish fanatic he is today.
British Dictionary definitions for fanatic

fanatic

/fəˈnætɪk/
noun
1.
a person whose enthusiasm or zeal for something is extreme or beyond normal limits
2.
(informal) a person devoted to a particular hobby or pastime; fan: a jazz fanatic
adjective
3.
a variant of fanatical
Word Origin
C16: from Latin fānāticus belonging to a temple, hence, inspired by a god, frenzied, from fānum temple
Word Origin and History for fanatic
n.

1520s, "insane person," from Latin fanaticus "mad, enthusiastic, inspired by a god," also "furious, mad," originally, "pertaining to a temple," from fanum "temple," related to festus "festive" (see feast). Meaning "zealous person" is mid-17c. As an adjective, in English, 1530s, "furious;" meaning "characterized by excessive enthusiasm," especially in religion (of Nonconformists), is from 1640s.

A fanatic is someone who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. [attributed to Winston Churchill]