Did you know?
Stick With Adherent
Just as tape adheres to paper, a person may adhere to a cause, a faith, or a belief. Thus, you may be an adherent of Hinduism, an adherent of environmentalism, or an adherent of the Republican Party. A plan for cutting taxes always attracts adherents easily, regardless of what the cuts may result in.
Synonyms
Examples of adherent in a Sentence
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
This place, this idea, demands of its adherents what religion does any pilgrim — devotion, sacrifice, faith that all will be worth it in the end — and supplies in turn the same benefits — ritual, community, comfort.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
These leaders were adherents of Catharism—a form of Christianity practiced by vegetarian teetotaler adherents who rejected churches and crucifixes.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
The differences between the more established strain of Christian conservatism and the pro-Trump one can be tricky to pin down, since their adherents tend to belong to the same denominations and largely prefer the same social policies.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2024
And its adherents say de-influencing could have a positive effect on the environment.
—Brianna Scott, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
But the arms-control theology still has powerful adherents.
—John R. Bolton, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
While today regarded as a pseudoscience, adherents to the practice then (and now) believed that the stars and planets influenced human affairs, including personal health.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023
The collapse had been particularly swift in the priest’s own Brazil — the church’s strongest redoubt by measure of Catholic adherents.
—Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024
Lutz Finger, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
With dry scalp, the flakes are likely to be whiter and smaller, and, says Dr. Gohara, since it’s not caused by an overabundance of oil, the flakes are not adherent.
—Lisa Bain, Good Housekeeping, 28 Feb. 2023
If the patient stops taking their medication, the specialty pharmacist is not connected to the prescribing physician and has no way of knowing if the physician stopped prescribing the drug or if the patient is non-adherent.
—Gary Drenik, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Cooking adds calories, Carmody says, and she's got some Atkins-adherent mice to back her up.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2011
It was awarded its first military contract in 1978 and still produces glasses adherent to the military’s 20-page-long technical requirements, for both Department of Defense and civilian customers.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 11 Aug. 2020
Like vaccinated health-care workers who have a professional duty to unvaccinated patients — or vice versa — Ramadan-adherent restaurant workers navigate the paradoxical crossroads of sawm (fasting) and indulgence.
—Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2022
It’s one thing to criticize a country growing more secular and less adherent to any faith tradition.
—Elaine Ayala, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Dec. 2021
Possibly the odor of night crawlers, leeches and fatheads that attends walleye fishing ensures adherent immunity.
—Star Tribune, 8 May 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adherent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin adhaerent-, adhaerens, going back to Latin, present participle of adhaerēre "to adhere"
Adjective
Middle English aherdaunt, adherent, borrowed from Anglo-French aheirdant, going back to Latin adhaerent-, adhaerens, present participle of adhaerēre "to adhere"
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near adherent
Cite this Entry
“Adherent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adherent. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
adherent
1 of 2 adjective
adherent
2 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on adherent
Nglish: Translation of adherent for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of adherent for Arabic Speakers
Share