fanatic

CEFRB2

/fəˈnæt.ɪk/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A person with extreme and uncritical enthusiasm for something.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A person who is zealously enthusiastic for some cause.

Examples

  • A fanatic threw a bomb at the king's coach.

  • Tom is a fitness fanatic.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /fəˈnaʔɪk/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. Showing evidence of possession by a god or demon; frenzied, overzealous.

More examples

In context

  • A fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim. —George Santayana

  • A zealot can't change his mind. A fanatic can't change his mind and won't change the subject. —Winston Churchill (attributed)

  • But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast / To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

That fitness blank spends every waking hour at the gym and never misses a day.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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