fundamentalist

[ fuhn-duh-men-tl-ist ]

noun

1. an adherent of fundamentalism, a religious movement characterized by a strict belief in the literal interpretation of religious texts:

   radical fundamentalists.

adjective

1. noting or relating to fundamentalism or fundamentalists:

   fundamentalist sects.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fundamentalist¹

First recorded in 1920–25; fundamental ( def ) + -ist ( def )

Example Sentences

Tanton gravitated to science — not to the fundamentalist Evangelical United Brethren Church of his mother — and eventually studied medicine.

From Salon

Salafists are fundamentalists who seek to adhere the example of the Prophet Muhammad and the first generations who followed him.

From BBC

In 1999, the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist movement that emerged triumphant from the Afghan civil war, wanted to legitimize themselves on the world stage as the rightful rulers of this mountainous land.

From Salon

What drew evangelicals into politics was actually a federal lawsuit against the fundamentalist school Bob Jones University.

From Salon

Ramadan challenged Muslim fundamentalists and encouraged dialogue between religions, but was accused by some critics of promoting political Islam.

From BBC

Related Words

• fanatic
• zealot