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ideologue

ideologue

33 9.0
A person who strongly supports certain ideas and ignores practical facts
  • noun
  • /ˈaɪdiəˌloʊg/
translation icon : ideólogo
  • The candidate was criticized for being an ideologue who ignored the practical needs of the community.
  • a party ideologue
  • a political ideologue
  • a conservative ideologue

Bob Hope is up there making fun of Nazi ideologues such as Gurgles.

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Examples

  • Rachel is like all the other right-wing ideologues... blame the media for their failures...

    Blog text (3)
  • The WH may be full of authoritarian ideologues, but they are not always that smart.

    Blog text (1)
  • By contrast, the ideologue can find support for his views in the most unlikely places.

    Academic text (1992)
  • And they are filled in by real ideologues who believe in that message.

  • I think I'd rather have that we get closer to direct democracy than to have a bunch of ideologues, I suppose.

  • We need fewer ideologues and more pragmatists.

  • A more accurate description would present the conflict as one between pragmatists and ideologues.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Some Argentines maintain that this group became the chief ideologues for the Peronists.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Hitler put the nation under martial law and appointed Nazi ideologue Werner Best as its plenipotentiary.

    Academic text (1999)
  • As a Brezhnev era ideologue Mikhail Souzlak once said, we don't skip on ideology.

Synonyms

partisan
vsideologue
363 6.7

Showing strong support for one side and not being fair

is similar but emphasizes ideological belief over group loyalty
extremist
vsideologue
  • Literature
186 6.9

A person with very strong political or religious views who supports radical action

shares intensity but is less about violent or radical measures
proponent
vsideologue
104 5.2

A person who supports an idea, plan, or cause

is more narrowly focused on ideology and ignores opposing views
fanatic
vsideologue
57 5.1

A person with very strong enthusiasm for a cause who ignores reason

is more about organized ideological commitment than emotional zeal
adherent
vsideologue
20 6.6

A person who supports a party, leader, or idea and helps promote it

is stronger, actively promoting ideology while ignoring practical concerns
hardliner
vsideologue
19 7.5

A person who refuses to change their beliefs, especially in politics

is less about enforcement and more about active ideological promotion
absolutist
vsideologue
3 8.1

A person who holds strict beliefs and refuses to accept compromise

is comparable but centers on promoting an ideology rather than principles
ideologist
vsideologue
2 7.9

A person who strongly supports a set of political or social beliefs

is more likely to ignore practical concerns and opposing views
dogmatist
vsideologue
1 8.4

A person who strongly holds their own beliefs and does not listen to other views

shares stubbornness but focuses more on promoting an ideology
doctrinaire
vsideologue
  • Formal
1 9.9

A person who sticks to fixed ideas and refuses to change them even if they do not work

is similar but stresses active promotion of an ideology
espouser
vsideologue
  • Formal
7.8

A person who supports and promotes an idea or cause

is more ideologically driven and dismissive of practical objections

Antonyms

85 4.6

A person with political views that are not extreme

pragmatist
  • Formal
1 7.4

A person who judges ideas by how well they work

How Ideological

zealot
  • Offensive
38 8.1
ideologue
33 9.0
advocate
282 4.1
supporter
817 1.0
sympathizer
37 4.8

Surface Forms

ideologue singular
ideologues plural

Morphology

ideologue = ideology (semi-transparent) = ideology + ogue

The meaning is predictable from 'ideology' (a system of ideas), but the borrowed ending '-ogue' is not a productive English agentive suffix, so learners may not fully generalize formation rules.

Etymology

Ideologue comes from idea ('idea') and -logue ('speaker' or 'speech'), like in dialogue and monologue. So an ideologue is someone who speaks for and follows one set of ideas very strongly, often without listening to other views.