fanatical
fanatical — adjective
1. showing such strong love for a hobby, team, or activity that other people think
showing such strong love for a hobby, team, or activity that other people think the level of interest goes too far.
Cyrus is fanatical about his football team and never misses a single match.
fanatical about + sports interest
Eve has a fanatical devotion to keeping her kitchen knives perfectly sharp.
fanatical devotion to + activity
The boss is fanatical about punctuality, so the team arrives at the office by seven.
Megan's training schedule for the marathon borders on fanatical.
Vikram became almost fanatical about collecting old vinyl records after his retirement.
- obsessive
stronger negative tone; often used of unhealthy mental focus
- passionate
neutral or positive; does not imply the level is unreasonable
- zealous
more formal; often about causes or work rather than hobbies
- indifferent
showing no interest at all
- casual
relaxed interest without deep commitment
文法句型
fanatical about + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person; typical objects after 'about' are hobbies, sports teams, food, fitness, or cleanliness. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes harmless personal enthusiasm and is not about political or religious belief.
常見錯誤
2. holding political or religious views so extreme that the person may act in cruel
holding political or religious views so extreme that the person may act in cruel, unfair, or violent ways because of them.
A small group of fanatical supporters tried to disrupt the peaceful protest in Lisbon.
fanatical supporters (group of believers)
The novel describes a fanatical sect that cut all contact with the outside world.
fanatical sect (religious extremism)
Renata escaped a fanatical political movement before moving to Canada.
Reporters were beaten by a fanatical mob outside the court building.
文法句型
fanatical + noun (group, follower, movement)
用法筆記
Almost always attributive (placed before a noun like 'group', 'follower', 'mob', 'sect', 'regime'). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense carries a clearly negative judgement about violence or intolerance, while sense 1 describes private hobbies without moral concern.
常見錯誤
fanatical — noun
1. someone whose religious or political belief is so strong that they refuse to lis
someone whose religious or political belief is so strong that they refuse to listen to other views and may support harm done in the name of that cause.
The historian argued that a single fanatical can sometimes change the course of a nation.
noun use (historical commentary)
Police feared that a lone fanatical might target the embassy during the visit.
a lone fanatical (security context)
The judge described the bomber as a religious fanatical with no respect for human life.
Survivors spoke of fanaticals who silenced anyone who questioned the leader.
- moderate
person holding balanced views
文法句型
a fanatical (rare); usually 'fanatic'
用法筆記
Rare as a noun; modern writers strongly prefer the noun 'fanatic'. Use this only when echoing older or formal prose. Subject is typically a person tied to a religious or political cause, never a sports fan or hobbyist.
常見錯誤
2. a person whose love for a sport, hobby, or topic is so strong that it fills most
a person whose love for a sport, hobby, or topic is so strong that it fills most of their free time and money.
Gabriel is a true cycling fanatical and owns six different racing bikes.
cycling fanatical (hobby noun)
The café was full of opera fanaticals discussing every singer at last night's show.
opera fanaticals (plural)
Lan calls herself a coffee fanatical who roasts her own beans every weekend.
The convention drew thousands of comic-book fanaticals from across Asia.
- fanatic
the standard modern noun; far more common in daily English
- enthusiast
neutral, no excess implied
- devotee
literary tone; stresses long-term loyalty
文法句型
a fanatical (rare); usually 'fanatic'
用法筆記
Rare and somewhat awkward as a noun; modern English uses 'fanatic' or 'enthusiast' in this meaning. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about harmless personal interest, not religious or political extremism.