fanaticize

A political leader fanaticizes his followers with fiery speeches.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To make fanatical: "fanaticize" means to cause someone to become excessively enthusiastic or zealous, often in a religious, political, or ideological context.
   • To become fanatical: It can also be used intransitively, meaning to adopt or display extreme, uncritical devotion or zeal.

Usage Examples

• Transitive (to make fanatical):

  • The propaganda campaign aimed to fanaticize the population against the enemy. (The campaign tried to turn people into zealots.)
  • The leader's speeches were designed to fanaticize his followers. (The speeches were intended to make followers excessively devoted.)

• Intransitive (to become fanatical):

  • Some individuals fanaticize over political causes, losing all perspective. (They become extreme in their zeal.)
  • The group began to fanaticize after years of isolation and indoctrination. (They developed fanatical beliefs over time.)

Advanced Usage

• "to fanaticize someone into something": to drive someone to a state of extreme devotion through persuasion or pressure.

  • The cult leader fanaticized his disciples into blind obedience. (He made them fanatically obedient.)

• "to fanaticize about something": to become fanatical regarding a particular subject.

  • He fanaticized about sports, neglecting all other aspects of his life. (He became obsessively devoted to sports.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fanatic (n, adj): a person filled with excessive zeal; relating to such a person.
  • He is a religious fanatic who will not listen to reason. (An excessively zealous person.)
• Fanatical (adj): characterized by extreme, uncritical enthusiasm.
  • Her fanatical devotion to the cause worried her friends. (Extreme and uncritical devotion.)
• Fanaticalness (n): the quality of being fanatical.
  • The fanaticalness of the crowd was frightening. (The state of being fanatically devoted.)
• Fanaticism (n): the behavior or attitudes of a fanatic.
  • Political fanaticism can lead to violence. (Extreme, uncritical political zeal.)

Synonyms

• Zealotize: to make into a zealot; to become a zealot.
• Radicalize: to cause someone to adopt extreme political or religious views.
• Indoctrinate: to teach someone to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.

Related Idioms

• "Preach to the choir": to speak about a topic to those who already share one's views (similar in intensity but not directly synonymous).
  • Trying to fanaticize the already devoted is like preaching to the choir. (Attempting to convert those already convinced.)