Definition

A person who is fanatically devoted to a cause, belief, or ideology, often to an extreme degree that excludes compromise or alternative viewpoints. The term carries connotations of passionate but rigid commitment.

Example Usage

He became such a zealot about veganism that he wouldn't even sit at the same table with people eating meat.

Origin

From Greek 'zealotes,' meaning 'one who is zealous'; also historically refers to a Jewish sect during Roman times.

Fun Fact

The term originally applied to the Zealots, a Jewish militant group that resisted Roman occupation in the 1st century CE.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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