fanatic

C1 Topic:People & Society

US /fəˈnæt.ɪk/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like phonetic /ɛ/ vs /æ/

Freq #16414

Meanings

1

noun
A person with extreme, often unreasonable enthusiasm for a cause or belief.

The group was led by a religious fanatic with dangerous ideas.
2

noun
A person who is extremely keen on a hobby or interest.

My brother is a complete football fanatic.
3

adj
Marked by extreme, intense devotion to a cause or idea.

He had a fanatic devotion to his political party.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person with extreme,... fiend

2 noun · a person who is extremely... freak

3 adj · marked by extreme, intense... fanaticaloverzealousrabid

Word family

Forms fanatics

Derived forms fanaticizenonfanaticultrafanaticunfanatic

Etymology

First attested in 1525. Learned borrowing from Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique.

fānāticus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# fanatic

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /fəˈnæt.ɪk/
**Frequency rank:** 16414

## Meanings
1. A person with extreme, often unreasonable enthusiasm for a cause or belief.
2. A person who is extremely keen on a hobby or interest.
3. Marked by extreme, intense devotion to a cause or idea.

## Examples
- The group was led by a religious fanatic with dangerous ideas.
- My brother is a complete football fanatic.
- He had a fanatic devotion to his political party.

## Derived Forms
- fanaticize
- nonfanatic
- ultrafanatic
- unfanatic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fānāticus

## Etymology
First attested in 1525. Learned borrowing from Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique.

## AI Etymology
Fanatic is first attested in 1525. Learned borrowing from Latin fānāticus (“of a temple, divinely inspired, frenzied”), from fānum (“temple”). Influenced by French fanatique. In present-day use, it can mean a person with extreme, often unreasonable enthusiasm for a cause or belief, or a person who is extremely keen on a hobby or interest. Derived formations include fanaticize, nonfanatic, ultrafanatic, and unfanatic.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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