What does adherent mean?
Word: Adherent
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Adherent means a person who supports a particular party, leader, idea or set of beliefs and follows it faithfully.
Synonyms: supporter, follower, believer, devotee
Antonyms: opponent, critic
Word origin: From Latin adhaerere, 'to stick to', made of ad- 'to' and haerere 'to stick'.
How do you spell adherent?
Syllables: ad - her - ent
Tricky part: The ending trips students up: the last syllable is a weak 'uhnt', so they write adherant or adherint. It ends in -ent.
Watch out for: adherant, adherint, adherrent
Memory tip: An adherent is as loyal as a devoted parent, and both words end in -ent.
Adherent in a sentence
Example 1: My grandfather has been an adherent of yoga for fifty years and still practises every morning.
Example 2: The new political party gained many adherents among young voters in the city.
Example 3: As a strict adherent of the rules, our captain never argues with the umpire.
Fun Fact
In older English, adherent was also an adjective meaning 'sticking fast', and it could describe things as well as people.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
adh_rent
a) i
b) e
c) a
d) ea
Show answer
b) e. The middle is h-e-r, the her of adhere.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. adherent 2. novice 3. veteran a. a person who is new to an activity b. a person who stands firmly behind a cause or leader c. a person with long experience in a job or activity
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. A loyal follower, a beginner and an old hand: adherent, novice and veteran.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
Every adherent of the old tradition gathered by the lake for the anual festival of lamps.
a) 1
b) 3
c) 0
d) 2
Show answer
a) 1. Annual needs a double n; adherent is spelt correctly here.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
nertdahe
a) someone who keeps to a belief or practice over many years
b) someone who studies the stars and planets
c) a person who looks after a library
d) a person who travels from place to place selling goods
Show answer
a) someone who keeps to a belief or practice over many years. The eight letters give adherent: a person who sticks to what they believe in.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which person is best described as an adherent of cycling to school?
a) Ravi, who has cycled daily for six years
b) Dev, who argues that it is unsafe for children
c) Mona, who has never owned a bicycle at all
d) Sunil, who tried it once and then gave up
Show answer
a) Ravi, who has cycled daily for six years
2. A new party can grow only if it ___ adherents.
a) attracts
b) loses
c) ignores
d) forgets
Show answer
a) attracts
