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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.
Examples of zealot in a Sentence
Adam Graham/the Detroit News, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Anti-natural gas zealots also conveniently leave out that even all-electric customers are reliant on fossil fuels: 74% of electricity generation in our transmission region is powered by natural gas, coal or oil.
—Dawn White, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2025
Any zealots seeking patriotic appeal would need to grapple with her default arc: a walking moral quagmire.
—Darren Franich, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025
Liberty Lobby’s founder, Willis Carto, was a reactionary zealot rumored to have four bronze busts of Hitler in his office.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Zealot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zealot. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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zealot
noun
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