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Glite Dictionary
cultish following

cultish following

7.8
A group of people who strongly support a person, idea, or product without question
  • noun
  • /ˈkʌltɪʃ ˈfɔloʊɪŋ/
translation icon : seguimiento sectario
  • No wonder Apple inspires such a cultish following from the likes of both management consultants and installation artists.

Examples

  • The author developed a cultish following after her novel became a bestseller, captivating readers around the world.

  • Many celebrities enjoy a cultish following, where fans show intense loyalty and admiration for their work.

  • His controversial beliefs earned him a cultish following, as devoted followers praised his ideas without question.

Synonyms

cult
vscultish following
101 5.8

A group of people who are very enthusiastic about a film or television show

focuses on the devoted group showing uncritical unquestioning loyalty

Antonyms

indifference
71 4.6

Lack of interest or concern about something

disinterest
5 5.8

Not feeling interested in something, like a talk or task

How Devoted

cult
  • Slur
249 7.2
cultish following
7.8
fan
∞ 1.0
supporter
817 1.0

Surface Forms

cultish following singular
cultish followings plural

Morphology

cultish + following

The phrase is transparently compositional: 'cultish' means resembling a cult and 'following' means a group of supporters, so together they straightforwardly mean a group showing cult-like devotion. This adjective+noun pattern is predictable and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Cultish following comes from cult, a small group with very strong loyalty, and following, meaning the people who follow someone. Picture a group that copies a leader and defends them without question, and you'll see why the phrase means a group with intense, uncritical 'devotion' to a person, idea, or product.