zealot

But unlike the most well-known version of that character, portrayed by Piper Laurie in Brian DePalma’s 1976 adaptation, Margaret is not a melodramatic, over-the-top, completely irrational zealot.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

On top of that list was Aunt Lydia, the ruthless zealot in charge of the handmaids, played so powerfully by Ann Dowd.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025

He was a zealot, he assured the assembled, a zealot who had even passed legislation!

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2024

“Liz is not a natural born leader; she is more of a zealot than a showman,” Mr. Evans wrote to Judge Davila.

From New York Times ● May 7, 2023

Of my brilliant mother, midwife and entrepreneur; of my eccentric father, junkman and zealot.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Would that the zealots and fools who keep trying could recognize that simple truth, and stop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

For TV producers, it's long been tempting to invite two self-righteous zealots into a studio to bellow at each other.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

The U.S. built the post-war world around rules—not because we are zealots about law, but because rules have helped us.

From Barron's ● Jan. 5, 2026

Or it might have been a more loosely formed group of reactionary zealots.

From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2025

All men of talent, whether they be men of feeling or not; whether they be zealots, or aspirants, or despots—provided only they be sincere—have their sublime moments, when they subdue and rule.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë