fanaticism

C2+ Topic:Politics & International Affairs

US /fəˈnætɪˌsɪzəm/ UK /fəˈnætɪsɪzəm/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
excessive, uncritical zeal, especially in religion or politics

Reason offers the best defense against fanaticism.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · excessive, uncritical zeal,... zealotryextremismbigotry dogmatism fervor obsession intolerance

Opposites

moderation tolerance apathy indifference

Word family

Related forms fanatic fanatical fan

Etymology

From 'fanatic' + the noun-forming suffix '-ism'. 'Fanatic' derives from Latin 'fānāticus' ('inspired by a deity, frenzied'), from 'fānum' ('temple').

fānāticus Latin fānum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Politics & International Affairs Word Formation & Derivatives

# fanaticism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** fəˈnætɪˌsɪzəm
**IPA (UK):** fəˈnætɪsɪzəm

## Meanings
1. excessive, uncritical zeal, especially in religion or politics

## Examples
- Reason offers the best defense against fanaticism.

## Synonyms
- zealotry
- extremism
- bigotry
- dogmatism
- fervor
- obsession
- intolerance

## Antonyms
- moderation
- tolerance
- apathy
- indifference

## Related Forms
- fanatic
- fanatical
- fan

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fānāticus
- Root: fānum

## Etymology
From 'fanatic' + the noun-forming suffix '-ism'. 'Fanatic' derives from Latin 'fānāticus' ('inspired by a deity, frenzied'), from 'fānum' ('temple').

## AI Etymology
Fanaticism comes from 'fanatic' + the noun-forming suffix '-ism'. 'Fanatic' derives from Latin 'fānāticus' ('inspired by a deity, frenzied'), from 'fānum' ('temple'). Morphologically, the form is compositional, with the named elements combining to produce the modern spelling and sense. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "excessive, uncritical zeal, especially in religion or politics", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as fanatic, fanatical, and fan, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin fānāticus and Latin fānum, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by zealotry, extremism, bigotry, and dogmatism on one side and contrasts such as moderation, tolerance, and apathy on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Politics & International Affairs
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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fanaticism

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