noun · 6 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.
/ˈzɛl.ət/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛlət
CMU ARPABET:Z EH1 L AH0 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:Z IY1 L AH0 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
One who is zealous, one who is full of zeal for their own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: enthusiast, fanatic
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent in the first century, who advocated the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisted the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to convert the Jews.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Judaism, historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A member of an anti-aristocratic political group in Thessalonica from 1342 until 1350.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Alternative letter-case form of zealot.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of
Topics: history, human-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a fervent and even militant proponent of something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
a member of an ancient Jewish sect in Judea in the first century who fought to the death against the Romans and who killed or persecuted Jews who collaborated with the Romans
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Jew, Hebrew, Israelite
History
Etymology
Initially only found as Middle English zelote, an epithet of Simon the Zealot, acquiring its current senses in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Middle English derives from Latin zēlōtēs, from Ancient Greek ζηλωτής (zēlōtḗs, “emulator, zealous admirer, follower”), from ζηλόω (zēlóō, “to emulate, to be jealous”), from ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”).
Across languages
Translations
88 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
غَيُور
(ḡayūr)
— zealous person
Arabic:
مُتَحَمِّس
(mutaḥammis)
— zealous person
Arabic:
مُتَعَصِّب
(mutaʕaṣṣib)
— zealous person
Azerbaijani:
təəssübkeş
— zealous person
Belarusian:
фана́тык
(fanátyk)
— zealous person
Belarusian:
фанаты́чка
(fanatýčka)
— zealous person
Bulgarian:
фанати́к
(fanatík)
— zealous person
Bulgarian:
фанати́чка
(fanatíčka)
— zealous person
Chinese Mandarin:
狂熱分子 /狂热分子
(kuángrè fēnzǐ)
— zealous person
Czech:
horlivec
— zealous person
Czech:
fanatik
— zealous person
Czech:
fanatička
— zealous person
Danish:
fanatiker
— zealous person
Dutch:
fanatiekeling
— zealous person
Dutch:
fanaat
— zealous person
Esperanto:
zeloto
— zealous person
Esperanto:
fervorulo
— zealous person
Estonian:
fanaatik
— zealous person
Ewe:
fanaatik
— zealous person
Finnish:
hihhuli
— zealous person
Finnish:
uskonkiihkoilija
— zealous person
Finnish:
kiihkoilija
— zealous person
Finnish:
intoilija
— zealous person
French:
fanatique
— zealous person
Galician:
fanático
— zealous person
Georgian:
ფანატიკოსი
(panaṭiḳosi)
— zealous person
Georgian:
ფანატიკური მიმდევარი
(panaṭiḳuri mimdevari)
— zealous person
German:
Eiferer
— zealous person
German:
Fanatiker
— zealous person
German:
Zelot
— zealous person
Ancient Greek:
ζηλωτής
(zēlōtḗs)
— zealous person
Hebrew:
קַנַּאי
(kanáy)
— zealous person
Hindi:
कट्टरपंथी
(kaṭṭarpanthī)
— zealous person
Ido:
zelanto
— zealous person
Ido:
zelozo
— zealous person
Irish:
díograiseoir
— zealous person
Italian:
fanatico
— zealous person
Japanese:
狂信者
(kyōshinsha)
— zealous person
Japanese:
熱狂者
(netsukyōsha)
— zealous person
Korean:
광신자
(gwangsinja)
— zealous person
Korean:
열광자
(yeolgwangja)
— zealous person
Ladino:
פֿאנאטיקו
— zealous person
Ladino:
fanátiko
— zealous person
Macedonian:
фанатик
(fanatik)
— zealous person
Norwegian Bokmål:
fanatiker
— zealous person
Norwegian Nynorsk:
fanatikar
— zealous person
Persian:
متعصب
(mota'asseb)
— zealous person
Persian:
فناتیک
(fanâtik)
— zealous person
Polish:
zelant
— zealous person
Polish:
zelota
— zealous person
Polish:
fanatyk
— zealous person
Polish:
fanatyczka
— zealous person
Portuguese:
zeloso
— zealous person
Portuguese:
fanático
— zealous person
Russian:
фана́тик
(fanátik)
— zealous person
Russian:
фанати́чка
(fanatíčka)
— zealous person
Serbo-Croatian:
фана̀тик
— zealous person
Serbo-Croatian:
fanàtik
— zealous person
Slovak:
fanatik
— zealous person
Slovak:
fanatička
— zealous person
Slovene:
fanatik
— zealous person
Slovene:
fanatičarka
— zealous person
Spanish:
fanático
— zealous person
Swedish:
fanatiker
— zealous person
Tajik:
мутаассиб
(mutaassib)
— zealous person
Ukrainian:
фана́тик
(fanátyk)
— zealous person
Ukrainian:
фанати́чка
(fanatýčka)
— zealous person
Uzbek:
mutaassib
— zealous person
Uzbek:
fanatik
— zealous person
Yiddish:
פֿאַנאַטיקער
(fanatiker)
— zealous person
Bulgarian:
зилот
(zilot)
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Chinese Mandarin:
奮銳黨 /奋锐党
(fènruìdǎng)
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Dutch:
zeloot
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Finnish:
selootti
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
French:
zélote
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Galician:
celote
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
German:
Zelot
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Ancient Greek:
Ζηλωτής
(Zēlōtḗs)
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Hebrew:
קַנַּאי
(kanáy)
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Hungarian:
zelóta
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Italian:
zelota
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Māori:
Heroti
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Polish:
zelota
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Russian:
зело́т
(zelót)
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Spanish:
zelota
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Spanish:
zelote
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Swedish:
selot
— member of the Zealot movement in Judea
Russian:
зило́т
(zilót)
— member of the anti-aristocratic group in Thessalonica
