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In the 1st century A.D., a fanatical sect arose in Judaea to oppose the Roman domination of Palestine. Known as the Zealots, they fought their most famous battle at the great fortress of Masada, where 1,000 defenders took their own lives just as the Romans were about to storm the fort. Over the years, zealot came to mean anyone who is passionately devoted to a cause. The adjective zealous may describe someone who's merely dedicated and energetic ("a zealous investigator", "zealous about combating inflation", etc.). But zealot (like its synonym fanatic) and zealotry (like its synonym fanaticism) are used disapprovingly—even while Jews everywhere still honor the memory of those who died at Masada.
Synonyms of zealot
Examples of zealot in a Sentence
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Blending a tense crime thriller structure with absurdist, deadpan humor, the film follows a right-wing zealot who travels to a sleep rural town to assassinate a progressive woman journalist – but runs into a series of darkly comic encounters along the way.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 12 May 2026
In Spanish, the line is gendered, as any bilingual Alcaraz zealot may point out.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
The sociology professor was also a jazz zealot with a little record collection at home.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for zealot
Cite this Entry
“Zealot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zealot. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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zealot
noun
