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  1. fanatic love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.
  2. adj. Fanatical.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Same as fanatical.
  2. n. A person affected by zeal or enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one given to wild and extravagant notions of religion.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. Fanatical.
  2. adj. obsolete Showing evidence of possession by a god or demon; frenzied, over-zealous.
  3. n. A person who is zealously enthusiastic for some cause, especially in religion.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Pertaining to, or indicating, fanaticism; extravagant in opinions; ultra; unreasonable; excessively enthusiastic, especially on religious subjects
  2. n. A person affected by excessive enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one who indulges wild and extravagant notions of religion.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea
  2. n. a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm (as for a cause)

Etymologies

  1. First attested in 1525. From Latin fānāticus ("of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied"), from fānum ("temple"). Influenced by French fanatique. (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin fānāticus, inspired by orgiastic rites, pertaining to a temple, from fānum, temple; see dhēs- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Giving a whole new meaning to the term fanatic, this deranged devotee and No 1 fan of a romance-novel writer (James Caan), holds him against his will, forces a rewrite of the protagonist's fate and then sledgehammers his legs so he can't escape from her.”

    TODAYonline

  • “Sorry, but a fanatic is a fanatic, regardless of what sheepskin she wears.”

    Think Progress » The Right, Religion and The Supreme Court: What a Difference a Month Makes

  • “The pope says many parts of the world are now facing threats to peace, including terrorism and what he calls fanatic fundamentalist.”

    CNN Transcript Jan 1, 2006

  • “In my experience, the essential pop fanatic is a polygamist.”

    fourfour:

  • “My mother's family has been American since 1639, my great + grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War, and no fanatic is telling me to leave my country because I don't listen to Fox News.”

    Axelrod slams Romney

  • “I am an oatmeal raisin fanatic - so can I sub raisins for the choc chips and throw in some pecans??”

    Mom's oatmeal cookies | Homesick Texan

  • “I'm always worried some Red Sox fanatic is going to give Frank a little "Fenway massage" with a bat or something.”

    Funny Video! Frank Cheats Death at Fenway

  • “You resemble nothing so much as a Palin fanatic circa Pearl Harbor Day 2008.”

    Matthew Yglesias » The Right’s Growth Record

  • “I read "Napalm and Silly Putty" ― a must read for any Carlin fanatic ― this past week, after finding it in a library book sale this winter.”

    I Miss George Carlin

  • “There's no way to please all the fans with all the interpretations, but this fanatic is quite pleased so far.”

    Brown Thing

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synonyms (7)

Words with the same meaning

  1. ultra
  1. unreasonable
  1. enthusiast
  1. bigot
  1. zealot
  1. visionary
  1. sectarian

equivalents (1)

Other words for ‘fanatic’

  1. passionate

hypernyms (3)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. partisan
  1. partizan
  1. enthusiast

same context (25)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. enthusiast
  2. madman
  3. hypocrite
  4. adventurer
  5. fool
  1. tyrant
  2. fanatical
  3. patriot
  4. idiot
  5. rebel
  1. devotee
  2. believer
  3. crank
  4. villain
  5. follower
  1. barbarian
  2. liar
  3. reformer
  4. dreamer
  5. politician
  1. brute
  2. murderer
  3. ruffian
  4. bigot
  5. agitator

rhymes (75)

Words with the same terminal sound

  1. Adriatic
  2. Asiatic
  3. Attic
  4. Charismatic
  5. Democratic
  6. Hanseatic
  7. Hippocratic
  8. Socratic
  9. acrobatic
  10. adriatic
  11. aerobatic
  12. aquatic
  13. aristocratic
  14. aromatic
  15. asthmatic
  1. asymptomatic
  2. attic
  3. autocratic
  4. automatic
  5. axiomatic
  6. bureaucratic
  7. charismatic
  8. cinematic
  9. climatic
  10. democratic
  11. diagrammatic
  12. diplomatic
  13. dogmatic
  14. dramatic
  15. ecstatic
  1. electrostatic
  2. emblematic
  3. emphatic
  4. enigmatic
  5. enzymatic
  6. epigrammatic
  7. erratic
  8. hanseatic
  9. hepatic
  10. hippocratic
  11. homeostatic
  12. hyperchromatic
  13. idiomatic
  14. idiosyncratic
  15. informatic
  1. lymphatic
  2. mathematic
  3. melodramatic
  4. monochromatic
  5. numismatic
  6. operatic
  7. pancreatic
  8. phlegmatic
  9. phosphatic
  10. pneumatic
  11. posttraumatic
  12. pragmatic
  13. prismatic
  14. problematic
  15. programmatic
  1. prostatic
  2. psychosomatic
  3. rheumatic
  4. schematic
  5. semiautomatic
  6. static
  7. symptomatic
  8. systematic
  9. technocratic
  10. telematic
  11. thematic
  12. theocratic
  13. traumatic
  14. undemocratic
  15. undiplomatic

reverse dictionary (11)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. fanatical
  2. fanaticize
  1. enthusiast
  2. brotherist
  1. atic
  2. eleutheromaniac
  1. gortonian
  2. Gandhi
  1. fanatically
  2. delusion
  1. fanaticism

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‘fanatic’ has been looked up 2794 times, loved by 5 people, added to 18 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 12.