zealot
ZEL-ut · noun
A person who supports a cause with intense and uncompromising enthusiasm.
Memory connection
Picture “zeal lot”
A marcher carries a whole lot of zeal—stacks of posters, nonstop chants, and no patience for anyone who questions the cause.
The sound cue helps you reach the scene; the action in the scene carries you from the scene to the definition.
Use it accurately
Meaning in context
The movement struggled to control zealots who rejected every possible compromise.
He approached dietary advice with the certainty of a zealot rather than the curiosity of a researcher.
Zealot is usually critical because commitment has become fanatical, rigid, or intolerant. An enthusiastic supporter is not automatically a zealot.
Common patterns
- religious zealot
- political zealot
- the zeal of a zealot
Quick check
Can you retrieve the meaning?
What distinguishes a zealot from an ordinary supporter?
Choose an answer, then explain it in your own words.