Ideologue: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to describe someone who strongly supports a particular ideology or set of beliefs, typically in a theoretical or academic context.

• As an ideologue, she spent her life promoting and defending her economic theories.
• The group's leader is a well-known political ideologue.

Applied to someone who insists on the importance of their beliefs and refuses to consider other points of view, often in a critical manner. This word often carries a negative connotation.

• He refused to listen to opposing arguments, earning a reputation as a dogmatist.
• Her dogmatic approach to teaching alienated many students.

Describes someone with fervent and uncompromising pursuit of their beliefs or causes, frequently with an implication of extremism and sometimes negative judgment.

• The political group was led by a zealot, whose extreme views divided the community.
• As a zealot for health, she imposed strict dietary rules on her family.

Refers to a person with excessive and single-minded zeal, especially for an extreme religious or political cause. Often used negatively to indicate irrational or obsessive behavior.

• His friends worried about his fanatic devotion to the cult.
• She's a sports fanatic and never misses a game.