as in partisans
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to name-calling and scare tactics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of zealots
Public health often responds that MAHA supporters like Elizabeth, Melinda, and Nancy have been hoodwinked by social media influencers, grifters, and anti-vaccine zealots.
—
Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
In rip-roaring zombie sequel, Sir Jimmy Crystal leads a gang of murderous zealots known as the Jimmies.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2026
Then there are the Muslims depicted as religious zealots.
—Deena Elgenaidi, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
In that vacuum, religious zealots and cults manifest, nihilism thrives, and families are torn apart.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025
For weeks, Oasis zealots have devoured online videos of the siblings strolling out onstage together, arms raised in victory and hugs brief yet genuine.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
That's just part of what Nikita Bridan says should be a compelling package, even for anti-EV zealots.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
Instead, a group of Jewish zealots burned the city’s storehouses in order to force the population to fight rather than wait out or appease their adversaries.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
In rip-roaring zombie sequel, Sir Jimmy Crystal leads a gang of murderous zealots known as the Jimmies.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2026
Then there are the Muslims depicted as religious zealots.
—Deena Elgenaidi, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
In that vacuum, religious zealots and cults manifest, nihilism thrives, and families are torn apart.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025
For weeks, Oasis zealots have devoured online videos of the siblings strolling out onstage together, arms raised in victory and hugs brief yet genuine.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
That's just part of what Nikita Bridan says should be a compelling package, even for anti-EV zealots.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
Instead, a group of Jewish zealots burned the city’s storehouses in order to force the population to fight rather than wait out or appease their adversaries.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zealots
Noun
-
Good and bad ideas come from all sides of the political spectrum, and hyper-partisans who don’t understand that are unable to see the full range of options when making public policy.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Motele, whose parents were murdered by the Nazis, escaped into the forest and joined a group of Jewish partisans.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The inquiry commission pointed to comments Herzog made less than a week after Hamas militants killed and kidnapped hundreds of Israelis on October 7, 2023.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants fought a full-scale war in 2024.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
To now endure censure by overzealous anti-Pretendian crusaders, and banishment by bureaucratic tribal decrees and reactionary blood-quantum rules, feels particularly bitter.—
David Treuer,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
-
For now, privacy crusaders are left to wait.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
They are often held incommunicado for days or weeks and prevented from contacting family members or lawyers, according to activists monitoring the arrests.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The master planned development drew fire when it was proposed, with some community activists and neighborhood groups concerned about displacement of existing business and residences in East and Southeast Austin.—
Travis Webb,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Runs also tend to draw as many running fanatics as music fans, bringing a new demographic into each artist’s orbit.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
11 Feb. 2026
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But the crowds of pastry fanatics and Maxime Frédéric fans descend on the weekends.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zealots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zealots. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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