fanatic

fanatic
fan, fanatic, fanatical
Fanatic is common as a noun meaning ‘a person having excessive or misguided enthusiasm for something’; as an adjective it has largely given way to fanatical:

• He was a fanatical worker, often doing thirteen or fourteen hours a day —A. Thwaite, 1984.

The abbreviated form fan, meaning ‘a keen supporter’, occurs in an isolated use in AmE as early as 1682, though not again until the late 19c when it became part of the ritual language of baseball, and then passed into general use in AmE, BrE, and elsewhere in the 20c in the senses ‘a supporter, an admirer’ (of a person or thing). Fan mail is first recorded in 1924, fan letter in 1932, and fan club in 1941, and other combinations are in use, including fanzine (= fan magazine), first recorded in 1951.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • fanatic — FANÁTIC, Ă, fanatici, ce, adj., s.m. şi f. 1. adj., s.m. şi f. (Om) dominat de fanatism. 2. adj. (Despre manifestările oamenilor) Care exprimă, trădează fanatism. – Din fr. fanatique, lat. fanaticus …   Dicționar Român

  • Fanatic — Fa*nat ic, a. [L. fanaticus inspired by divinity, enthusiastic, frantic, fr. fanum fane: cf. F. fanatique. See {Fane}.] Pertaining to, or indicating, fanaticism; extravagant in opinions; ultra; unreasonable; excessively enthusiastic, especially… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fanatic — (n.) 1520s, insane person, from L. fanaticus mad, enthusiastic, inspired by a god, also furious, mad, originally, pertaining to a temple, from fanum temple, related to festus festive (see FEAST (Cf. feast)). Meaning zealous person is mid 17c. As… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Fanatic — Fa*nat ic, n. A person affected by excessive enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one who indulges wild and extravagant notions of religion. [1913 Webster] There is a new word, coined within few months, called fanatics, which, by the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fanatic — index addict, addicted, bigot, demagogue, dictatorial, drastic, eager, fanatical, malcontent …   Law dictionary

  • fanatic — n bigot, enthusiast, zealot …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • fanatic — [n] person overenthusiastic about an interest activist, addict, bigot, bug*, crank*, crazy, demon, devotee, enthusiast, extremist, fiend*, fool, freak, maniac, militant, monomaniac, nut*, radical, ultraist, visionary, zealot; concepts 352,359,366 …   New thesaurus

  • fanatic — ► NOUN 1) a person filled with excessive zeal, especially for an extreme political or religious cause. 2) informal a person with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ filled with or expressing excessive zeal. DERIVATIVES… …   English terms dictionary

  • fanatic — [fə nat′ik] adj. [< L fanaticus, of a temple, hence enthusiastic, inspired < fanum, a temple: see FANE] FANATICAL n. a person whose extreme zeal, piety, etc. goes beyond what is reasonable; zealot SYN. ZEALOT …   English World dictionary

  • fanatic — n. 1) a religious fanatic 2) a fanatic to + inf. (he had to be a fanatic to do that) * * * [fə nætɪk] a religious fanatic a fanatic to + inf. (he had to be a fanatic to do that) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • fanatic — /feuh nat ik/, n. 1. a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics. adj. 2. fanatical. [1515 25; < L fanaticus pertaining to a temple, inspired by orgiastic rites, frantic, equiv. to fan(um) temple +… …   Universalium

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