fanatic
/fəˈnæt.ɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /fəˈnæt̬.ɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /fə-ˈna-tik/ (ame, mw) · /fəˈnætɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /fəˈnætɪk/ (ame, ipa)
fanatic — noun
- fanaticsingular
- fanaticsplural
1. Someone whose passion for a hobby, sport, or topic goes so far that other people
Someone whose passion for a hobby, sport, or topic goes so far that other people often think it is too much.
Hamza is such a chess fanatic that he plays online matches before breakfast every day.
pattern: a [topic] fanatic
The Watanabe brothers are baseball fanatics who travel across Japan to watch every home game.
plural: [topic] fanatics
Mira's family teases her for being a coffee fanatic who owns six different brewing machines.
Only a true gardening fanatic would wake up at five in the morning to water tomato plants.
Reuben became a fanatic about old films after his grandfather gave him a box of black-and-white reels.
- enthusiast
neutral; fanatic suggests the passion goes further than most people would
- buff
informal; suggests deep knowledge of a niche topic (a film buff)
- addict
stronger; implies the person cannot stop, often used jokingly (a chocolate addict)
文法句型
a [topic] fanatic
fanatic about/for [noun]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a hobby, sport, food, or genre. The label is mildly teasing rather than insulting; pairs naturally with possessive constructions like 'a fitness fanatic' or 'a film fanatic'.
常見錯誤
2. Someone whose beliefs, often religious or political, are so extreme that they ma
Someone whose beliefs, often religious or political, are so extreme that they may act in cruel, unreasonable, or even violent ways towards people who disagree.
The bombing was carried out by a small group of religious fanatics who rejected any form of dialogue.
collocation: religious fanatics
Diya warned her students not to confuse devout believers with fanatics who use faith to justify violence.
Political fanatics shouted down anyone in the crowd who tried to ask a reasonable question.
A handful of armed fanatics seized the town hall and demanded the mayor resign on live television.
The novel follows a young reporter who is kidnapped by fanatics in a remote mountain village.
- moderate
someone who holds balanced, non-extreme views
文法句型
a [religious/political] fanatic
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense carries a serious moral judgement and is almost always negative, often paired with 'religious', 'political', or 'armed'. Sense 1 is teasing; sense 2 implies danger.
常見錯誤
fanatic — adjective
- fanaticpositive
- more fanaticcomparative
- most fanaticsuperlative
1. Showing such an extreme attachment to a belief, idea, or activity that the perso
Showing such an extreme attachment to a belief, idea, or activity that the person involved loses normal balance or fair judgement.
Christopher described his uncle's fanatic loyalty to the local football club as both touching and exhausting.
collocation: fanatic loyalty/devotion
Historians still debate the fanatic energy that drove the rebels through three brutal winters.
Niran wrote a long essay about the fanatic devotion some collectors show towards a single rare stamp.
Constanza warned that fanatic opposition to all change can damage even the strongest community.
- indifferent
showing no interest at all
- moderate
balanced, not extreme
文法句型
fanatic + noun
用法筆記
Almost always sits directly before a noun (attributive), as in 'fanatic loyalty' or 'fanatic devotion'. In modern English, 'fanatical' is far more common in both writing and speech; the bare 'fanatic' as an adjective sounds formal or slightly old-fashioned.