What does fanatic mean?
Word: Fanatic
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Fanatic means a person who is extremely enthusiastic about something, such as a sport or a hobby. It can also mean someone whose beliefs are so strong that they will not listen to others.
Synonyms: enthusiast, devotee
Word origin: From Latin fanaticus, 'of a temple' or 'inspired by a god', from fanum, 'temple'.
How do you spell fanatic?
Syllables: fa - nat - ic
Tricky part: Every consonant is single: one n and one t. Students often write fannatic or fanattic.
Watch out for: fannatic, fanattic
Memory tip: Write fan, then add -atic as in dramatic and automatic: nothing doubles anywhere.
Fanatic in a sentence
Example 1: Tara is a chess fanatic who solves three puzzles before breakfast.
Example 2: My cousin, a cycling fanatic, rode from Mumbai to Pune just for fun.
Example 3: Only a true fanatic would queue all night for the first copy of a new book.
Fun Fact
The everyday word fan, as in a football fan, is most likely a shortened form of fanatic; it was first used for sports supporters in the United States in the late 1800s.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
This word came from Latin and means a person who is extremely enthusiastic about something.
a) novice
b) veteran
c) genius
d) fanatic
Show answer
d) fanatic. A veteran has long experience, a novice is a beginner and a genius is extremely clever.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. fanatic 2. fanciful 3. fanfare 4. fanatical
a) 4123
b) 1423
c) 4132
d) 1432
Show answer
b) 1423. Fanatic is the start of fanatical, so it comes first; then fanc beats fanf because c is before f.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
My uncle is a cricket fanatic who has not missed a single Test match at Eden Gardens in twenty years, rain or shine.
a) 0
b) 2
c) 1
d) 3
Show answer
a) 0. Every word here is spelt correctly, including fanatic, so the count is zero.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
tacnifa 1234567
a) 6247153
b) 3517426
c) 6427153
d) 6247135
Show answer
a) 6247153. The f sits at position 6; follow it with a (2), n (4), a (7), t (1), i (5) and c (3).
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A fitness fanatic is someone who ___.
a) watches television all evening
b) sleeps until noon every day
c) exercises every single day
d) avoids sport at all costs
Show answer
c) exercises every single day
2. Which sentence uses fanatic correctly?
a) My brother is a hockey fanatic and plays every evening.
b) We felt fanatic after the long walk.
c) The fanatic of the bridge was painted red.
d) She fanatic the cake with fresh cream.
Show answer
a) My brother is a hockey fanatic and plays every evening.
