FANATICISM Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

fanaticism

noun

Definition of fanaticism

as in zeal

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Dissimilar Words

as in dogmatism

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fanaticism But the beauty of the beautiful game is that millions of dollars and people don’t guarantee success, that there’s a difference between a soccer-playing nation and a soccer nation, that passion and culture and fanaticism matter. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026 Even after the glow of the Cup has faded, opportunities to plug into Scotland’s football fanaticism will continue. — Laura Dannen Redman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 May 2026 Global warming led to international tensions, and a mixture of religious fanaticism and failures in governance gave way to nuclear annihilation. — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 24 May 2026 Even OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, the current darlings of generative-AI fanaticism, will become subdued if their firms survive. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fanaticism

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fanaticism

Noun

When none of the professors got back to her, Jamie’s initial zeal cooled.

— Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
In the changeover, local DJ and sound designer Max Ville helped customize a hi-fi lounge adjacent to the dining room, embodying Brock’s zeal for collectible vinyl.

— Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of zeal

Noun

When authenticity becomes uncompromising, candor turns belligerent, consistency becomes rigid, or principled decision-making morphs into dogmatism, even the best intentions can backfire.

— Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
By staying so close to black metal’s core sound, Marchenko does more to undermine the dogmatism—both racial and aesthetic—of Vikernes and his ilk than a more obviously experimental project might.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of dogmatism

Noun

This latest obsession from Japan focuses on a plump, fresh finish, one that calls to mind the softness and suppleness of the famous Japanese dessert for which it is named.

— Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Two groups on Beirut City Pop, Force and Games, are fronted by Saadi, and each shows different sides of his obsessions.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of obsession

Noun

People in search of healthcare do not care which national story others wish to project onto a molecule, device, or platform, which regulatory philosophy defines it, or which flag stands behind a laboratory.

— Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
That philosophy fits in well with Angel City, which, under sporting director Mark Parsons and majority owners Willow Bay and Bob Iger, has expanded its support staff to include a psychologist and a mental performance coach.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of philosophy

Noun

After the wisdom of America's most popular sport was questioned over its insistence to play its first-ever game in France in the wake of a Saturday filled with protests and violence, the NFL kicked off inside Paris's Stade de France on Sunday.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
This takes more chutzpah than Ohtani’s insistence to continue as a two-way player.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of insistence

Noun

The band frequently steers the poppy songwriting offroad by leaning into distortion and ambience, creating moments of both near-mania and hazy unease.

— Sue Park, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
But this time, the AI wager is concentrated in far fewer companies than the railway mania ever was.

— Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of mania

Noun

Returning to the table, Walzer said that a legal scholar had recently used the jus ex bello doctrine in an op-ed to argue that the war had become so costly to Ukrainians that their government was now obliged to make concessions to stop the fighting.

— Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
These new lines of thought, which have gained prominence among influential defense intellectuals and policy experts close to the Kremlin over the past year do not need to be endorsed in formal security doctrine to matter.

— Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of doctrine

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“Fanaticism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fanaticism. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fanaticism

noun

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