Standard Lemma guide

idolater

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˌaɪˈdɑlətəɹ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒlətə(ɹ)

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who worships idols; (historical) a pagan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a person who worships idols

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: idolizer, idoliser, idol worshiper

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: heathen, pagan, gentile, infidel

Narrower terms: idolatress

History

Etymology

From Middle English ydolatrer, from Middle French idolatre, from Latin idololatra. Displaced native Old English dēofolġielda (literally “devil worshiper”).

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: وَثَنِيّ (waṯaniyy) — one who worships idols
  • Armenian: կռապաշտ (kṙapašt) — one who worships idols
  • Azerbaijani: bütpərəst — one who worships idols
  • Belarusian: ідалапакло́ннік (idalapaklónnik) — one who worships idols
  • Belarusian: ідалапакло́нніца (idalapaklónnica) — one who worships idols
  • Belarusian: балвахва́л (balvaxvál) — one who worships idols
  • Bulgarian: идолопокло́нник (idolopoklónnik) — one who worships idols
  • Catalan: idòlatra — one who worships idols
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偶像崇拜者 (ǒuxiàng chóngbàizhě) — one who worships idols
  • Czech: modlář — one who worships idols
  • Czech: modloslužebník — one who worships idols
  • Esperanto: idolano — one who worships idols
  • Finnish: epäjumalanpalvoja — one who worships idols
  • Finnish: kuvainpalvoja — one who worships idols
  • French: idolâtre — one who worships idols
  • German: Götzenanbeter — one who worships idols
  • German: Götzendiener — one who worships idols
  • Greek: ειδωλολάτρης (eidololátris) — one who worships idols
  • Ancient Greek: εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolátrēs) — one who worships idols
  • Hebrew: עובד כוכבים ומזלות (oveid kochavim ûmazalot) — one who worships idols
  • Hebrew: עכו״ם (aku"m) — one who worships idols
  • Hungarian: bálványimádó — one who worships idols
  • Irish: íoltóir — one who worships idols
  • Irish: íoladhraitheoir — one who worships idols
  • Italian: idolatra — one who worships idols
  • Kazakh: пұтпарас (pūtparas) — one who worships idols
  • Kazakh: пұтқа табынушы (pūtqa tabynuşy) — one who worships idols
  • Kyrgyz: бутпарас (butparas) — one who worships idols
  • Macedonian: идолопоклоник (idolopoklonik) — one who worships idols
  • Middle English: ydolatrer — one who worships idols
  • Occitan: idolatra — one who worships idols
  • Old English: dēofolġielda — one who worships idols
  • Persian: بتپرست (bot-parast) — one who worships idols
  • Polish: bałwochwalca — one who worships idols
  • Romanian: idolatru — one who worships idols
  • Russian: идолопокло́нник (idolopoklónnik) — one who worships idols
  • Slovak: modlár — one who worships idols
  • Slovak: modloslužobník — one who worships idols
  • Spanish: idólatra — one who worships idols
  • Swedish: avgudadyrkare — one who worships idols
  • Tajik: бутпараст (butparast) — one who worships idols
  • Turkish: putperest — one who worships idols
  • Turkmen: butparaz — one who worships idols
  • Ukrainian: ідолопокло́нник (idolopoklónnyk) — one who worships idols
  • Ukrainian: ідолові́рець (idolovírecʹ) — one who worships idols
  • Uyghur: بۇتپەرەس (butperes) — one who worships idols
  • Uzbek: butparast — one who worships idols