noun

fanatic

fuh-NAT-ihk

noun

Someone with extreme, unshakeable enthusiasm for a cause, belief, or hobby.

"He's a fitness fanatic who runs ten miles every morning."

"Religious fanatics stormed the temple gates."

How to Use Fanatic

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomeone whose enthusiasm for something has tipped into extreme, sometimes alarming intensity.

Common mistake

Slightly stronger and often more negative than "fan" — a "fan" enjoys something, a "fanatic" is obsessive or extreme about it.

Easily confused with

fan →

Common pairings

religious fanatic fitness fanatic

more fanatic comparative, fanatics plural, most fanatic superlative

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He's a fitness _____ who runs ten miles every morning.

From Latin fanaticus, "inspired by a god, frenzied," originally describing worshippers at a temple (fanum).

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