devotee

de·vo·tee
D2E1V4O1T1E1E1
Australia, UK/ˌdɛv.əˈtiː/US/ˌdi.voʊˈti/US/ˌdɛv.oʊˈti/South Asia/ɖɪˈʋoː.ʈiː/

noun

An ardent enthusiast or admirer.

“devotees of Krishna”

Less commonScrabble 11

Meanings

noundevotee (plural devotees)

plural devotees

  1. An ardent enthusiast or admirer.

    a devotee of classical music

    3 more examples

    He was a devotee of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar.

    1908 January 28, John Muir, “Hetch Hetchy Valley”, in Sierra Club Bulletin

    *The Expanse'*s patois has become, like Klingon and Dothraki, the show's great unifier—the slang all devotees speak.

    2017 April 5, Emily Dreyfuss, “That Cool Dialect on The Expanse Mashes Up 6 Languages”, in WIRED, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2022

    Synonyms: addict, buff, aficionado, amateur, enthusiast, fancier, fan, fiend

  2. lifestyleA believer in a particular religion or god.

    devotees of Krishna

    2 more examples

    devotees thronged the temple

    It has been said that a Japanese is a Shintōist in life and a Buddhist at death; and it is also true that he may be during life, at one and the same time, a devotee of both.

    1913, Ernest Wilson Clement, A Handbook of Modern Japan, page 253
  3. slangA person (almost exclusively a man) with a sexual attraction for people with physical disabilities, especially amputees.

    The amputee-devotee community, consisting of women with amputations and the men sexually attracted to them, has been widely discussed within the disability community.

    2004, Alison Kafer, “Inseparable: Gender and disability in the amputee-devotee community”, in Gendering Disability, page 108
    2 more examples

    He becomes involved in a story about a community of wannabes and devotees, those who desire to be sexually intimate with disabled bodies, and meets Fiona, an art conservator and wannabe, or disabled pretender.

    2019, Ann Millett-Gallant, “Basilisk and the Representation of Physically Disabled Women in Film”, in Contemporary Art and Disability Studies

    One of the paradoxical issues facing people with disabilities are "devotees": temporarily able-bodied people who are attracted to them because of their disabilities.[…]Although some women with disabilities experience a positive effect, devotee forums and websites simultaneously sexually objectify women with disabilities.

    2022, Thomas J. Gerschick, “The body, disability, and sexuality”, in Introducing the New Sexuality Studies: Original Essays, 4th edition

Synonyms & antonyms

More synonyms by meaning

nounan ardent follower and admirer

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From devote + -ee. The narrowed meaning in sense 3 arises from the sound similarity with amputee.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bengali আবেদ
  • আবেদ (abed)believer
Czech nadšenec, vyznavač
  • nadšenecadmirer
  • vyznavačbeliever
Finnish palvoja, ihailija
  • palvojaadmirer
  • ihailijaadmirer
  • intoilijaadmirer
  • uskovainenbeliever
French inconditionnel, dévot
  • inconditionneladmirer
  • dévotadmirer
German Bewunderer, Enthusiast
  • Bewundereradmirer
  • Enthusiastadmirer
  • Fanadmirer
  • Anhängeradmirer
  • Entourageadmirer
  • Anhängerschaftadmirer
  • Liebhaberadmirer
  • Verehreradmirer
  • Eifererbeliever
  • Gläubigerbeliever
  • Anhängerbeliever
  • Verehrerbeliever
Hindi प्रशंसक, भक्त
  • प्रशंसक (praśansak)admirer
  • भक्त (bhakt)believer
  • उपासक (upāsak)believer
Irish vóitín
  • vóitínbeliever
Italian devoto, fedele
  • devotobeliever
  • fedelebeliever
  • seguacebeliever
Māori kaitautāwhi
  • kaitautāwhiadmirer
Polish wielbiciel, wielbicielka
  • wielbicieladmirer
  • wielbicielkaadmirer
  • entuzjastaadmirer
  • entuzjastkaadmirer
Portuguese entusiasta, discípulo
  • entusiastaadmirer
  • discípuloadmirer
  • devotoadmirer
Russian покло́нник, покло́нница
  • покло́нник (poklónnik)admirer
  • покло́нница (poklónnica)admirer
  • пре́данный (prédannyj)believer
Spanish devoto, devoto
  • devotoadmirer
  • devotobeliever
Tamil பக்தன், பக்தர்
  • பக்தன் (paktaṉ)believer
  • பக்தர் (paktar)believer
Urdu پرستار, عقیدت مند
  • پرستار (parastār)admirer
  • عقیدت مند ('aqīdat-mand)believer
  • عابد ('ābid)believer
Cite this entry
APA

devotee. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devotee

MLA

“devotee.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devotee. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “devotee,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devotee.

Source: devotee on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.