fellow traveler
3
8.2
- noun
- /ˈfɛloʊ ˈtrævələr/
- Archaic
:
simpatizante
- Sadly, we have many socialist fellow travelers in the GOP...
- Communists and fellow travelers
- fellow traveler, communist
Examples
-
The presence of supporters and fellow travelers from many countries was indicative of a new direction as well.
Blog text (25) -
Today's communitarians face the same questions that Tourgée and his fellow travelers faced in 1868: How can local government be a tool for dismantling inequality and building a better politics?
Academic text (2017) -
His "principles" only apply to his political fellow travelers.
Blog text (24) -
The Communists and their fellow travelers in the British Foreign Office.
-
My reason then was that anything that suggested Cold War propaganda would be aimed at fellow travelers.
Blog text (3) -
So they litigate their faith via popularity, appealing to the tribal allegiance of their fellow travelers.
Blog text (9) -
Glen enjoys the support of many friends, ideological fellow-travelers, and co-opted journalists and academics.
Academic text (2009) -
If you voiced an unpopular opinion, you were smeared, labeled un-American, fellow traveler, communist.
Academic text (1992) -
The ANC was regarded as a South African Communist Party (SACP) fellow-traveler and the puppet of Soviet designs in Southern Africa.
Academic text (1992) -
Many politicians have fellow travelers who support their ideas without formally joining their party.
Synonyms
37
4.8
A person who supports a movement or idea without taking part
A person who supports a group or movement and shares its ideas
Antonyms
How Supportive
Surface Forms
Morphology
fellow + traveler
Literally 'fellow' (companion) + 'traveler' (someone who travels) yields a clear image of a companion on a journey, and the political meaning is a metaphorical extension of that image. Because the political sense ('sympathizer without formal membership') is a culturally specific metaphor not directly predictable from the constituents, a B1 learner who knows the words would likely not infer the specialized political meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Fellow traveler: The phrase fellow traveler was used in politics to show the image of someone walking beside a group but not joining it. That's why it means 'a sympathizer' who supports a political movement without being a formal 'member'.