Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.
- adjective Fanatical.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Same as
fanatical . - noun A person affected by zeal or enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one given to wild and extravagant notions of religion.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Pertaining to, or indicating, fanaticism; extravagant in opinions; ultra; unreasonable; excessively enthusiastic, especially on religious subjects
- noun A person affected by excessive enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one who indulges wild and extravagant notions of religion.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Fanatical . - adjective obsolete Showing evidence of possession by a god or demon; frenzied, over-zealous.
- noun A person who is
zealously enthusiastic for some cause, especially in religion.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea
- noun a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm (as for a cause)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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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 2008
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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 2005
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The pope says many parts of the world are now facing threats to peace, including terrorism and what he calls fanatic fundamentalist.
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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 2009
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You resemble nothing so much as a Palin fanatic circa Pearl Harbor Day 2008.
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In my experience, the essential pop fanatic is a polygamist.
fourfour: 2009
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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 2009
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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.
Archive 2009-03-01 2009
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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 Homesick Texan 2009
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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 frankwu 2009
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