zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to name-calling and scare tactics

Recent Examples on the Web

For Mercedes, the personal rift is with her mother, a religious zealot who both condemns her daughter’s work and extorts her for money to throw at various church endeavors. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "The Prestige Drama Where Strippers Run the Show," 5 Sep. 2020

One believer, one consumer, one zealot in this space at an organic and unhurried pace. Rachel King, Fortune, "OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder on launching a hemp-infused sparkling water brand," 24 Aug. 2020

This, despite the fact that Trump and the religious zealots his White House serves have rolled back rights for LGBT people, imperiled their health, and even endangered their lives. BostonGlobe.com, "Hey Log Cabin Republicans, Trump is not your friend.," 22 Jan. 2020

Republican lawmakers have never been the partisan anti-government zealots that many Democrats claim. Brian Riedl, National Review, "Senate Republicans Are Not ‘Obstructionist’," 9 Jan. 2020

But that a couple of zealots displayed Confederate flags at this event involving as many as 4,000 people isn’t the first, second, or third thing to know about the protest, which can be more accurately described as lavishly star-spangled. Rich Lowry, National Review, "The Old Confederate-Flag Canard," 22 Apr. 2020

Offline, Sloomoo’s slime zealots are working hard to spread the joy, attempting the near impossible — to create a space as uninhibited as the internet. Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, "How An Unlikely Instagram Trend Is Bringing Together Gen Z, Boomers, & Everyone In Between," 6 Mar. 2020

Recent findings challenge the notion that individuals become zombies in groups or that they can be easily brainwashed by charismatic zealots. Stephen D. Reicher, Scientific American, "Fueling Terror: How Extremists Are Made," 25 Mar. 2016

Climate-change deniers are going to deny, and some of those who accept that global warming is real are going to be zealots — and will come off just as cartoonishly as their foils. Greg Jefferson, ExpressNews.com, "Jefferson: USAA is feeling the heat from climate change," 24 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'zealot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.