It might be difficult at first to find good synonyms to describe someone who blindly follows an authoritative figure. However, if you look hard enough, you’ll have a much easier time. This article will explore the best synonyms for you and how to use them.
Which Words Can Describe A Blind Follower?
There are a few great words you can use to describe a blind follower. The best ones that we’ll look at here are:
- Partisan
- Chauvinist
- Conformist
- Sheep
- Jingoist
- Yes-man
The preferred version is “partisan” because it has the closest resemblance to the meaning of a blind follower. It’s used when someone follows an authoritative figure, often without thinking about the consequences or even understanding how they might link to their own beliefs.
Partisan
Let’s start by looking closer at a partisan, which we believe to be the closest matchable word to a blind follower.
A partisan is somebody who is happy to show their support for an authoritative figure. That could mean a person, principle, or political entity of some kind. Generally, partisans don’t consider their own judgment and just blindly follow the beliefs of everyone else.
The definition of “partisan,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “strongly supporting a person, principle, or political party, often without considering or judging the matter very carefully.”
Partisans have a hard time figuring out their own morals and beliefs. They’ll instead allow other people to decide what those beliefs are for them, making their life much easier by simply living the way that other people tell them to.
You might see “partisan” written in the following ways:
- You’re nothing more than a partisan, and you have no idea about any of their policies.
- You’ve never come up with a single unique belief because you’re a partisan.
- We’re followed by a bunch of partisans, which isn’t good for business.
Chauvinist
Next, we’ll look at “chauvinist” as a word to mean blind follower.
A chauvinist is someone in the political world who is happy to show an excessive level of belief towards their country or their political party. They’ll often believe that their country or party is the best and most important of them all, and every other option is irrelevant.
The definition of “chauvinist,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “believing or showing an unreasonable belief that your own country or race is the best or most important.”
Typically, chauvinists are difficult people to be around in a friendly way. They’ll often try and unload their beliefs to other people, trying to get as many people to agree with their views as possible.
They also have a habit of never looking at the results of their beliefs. Once they find a party they love, they stick with it.
You might see it in the following ways:
- I’m not a chauvinist; I can keep an open mind as long as you allow me to vote for my own party because they’re the best.
- We’re all chauvinists here, and there’s nothing wrong with believing we know best!
- He’s a chauvinist, and you don’t want him to poison your beliefs.
Conformist
A “conformist” is something that’s picked up a lot of traction lately in the mainstream media. It’s a great word to use to talk about a blind follower of something.
A conformist is somebody who follows the crowd and general consensus of a population. They’ll rarely (if ever) make their own decisions and instead, go with the flow and whatever is popular at the time.
The definition of “conformist,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone who behaves or thinks like everyone else, rather than being different.”
Many people look down on conformists due to their lack of independent thought. If you can’t think for yourself and come up with a decent reason why you believe the things that you do, it’s likely that people will think of you as a conformist.
We could see “conformist” written as follows:
- Everyone in this country is a conformist, and the government has plagued their minds!
- You’re all brainwashed conformists, and I don’t want to associate with any of you.
- Stop being such a conformist and live outside of the law a little!
Sheep
“Sheep” is synonymous with “conformist.” We can use it in a more casual sense, and it’s a really good slang phrase.
A “sheep” is somebody who follows the herd and does whatever the rest of the population is doing. It’s a slang insult used to liken somebody to a sheep and the herd mentality that flocks of sheep follow.
The definition of “sheep,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “If a group of people are sheep, they all behave in the same way or all behave as they are told, and cannot or will not act independently.”
The word originates from flocks of sheep. If you’ve ever seen them and how they behave, you’ll understand that once one sheep moves, the rest will generally follow, regardless of why the original sheep moved in the first place.
It’s this idea that birthed the slang term “sheep” as a derogatory way to talk about somebody who blindly follows a crowd or leader.
A “sheep” may be seen in the following ways:
- You’re a sheep if you think what they’re talking about is relevant to us.
- Don’t be a sheep. Think for yourself for once.
- I hate being around a city of sheep; no one knows what to do unless everyone else is doing it first.
You might also hear the newer slang phrase “sheeple,” which uses the same idea. It instead combines the words “sheep” and “people” to talk about large crowds of people all doing the same thing and blindly following rules.
- You’re all a bunch of sheeple, and I can’t stand you!
Jingoist
A “jingoist” is a little more specific, but it works well when you want to talk about somebody who is a blind follower to some degree.
A jingoist is somebody who believes that their country is the best one and the only viable option for anyone to live a happy life. Every other country is terrible to a jingoist, and it rarely extends to anything outside of their own patriotic beliefs.
The definition of “jingoist,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone who believes that their own country is always best.”
For the most part, jingoists won’t know much about other countries in the world. They’ll try and avoid as much information as possible because it might end up contradicting their blind view that their country is the best.
It’s difficult for anybody to argue with a jingoist, which is why so many people try and avoid it.
You might see the word in the following ways:
- You’re a jingoist, which is why it’s so hard to tell you how nice it is in Europe!
- I hate talking to jingoists; they’re always so high and mighty.
- Did you know that jingoists never vacation abroad? They’re worried that they might love another country more than their own.
Yes-Man
Finally, we’ll look at “yes-man” and what it means when you’re looking at it in the sense of being a blind follower.
A yes-man is somebody who will always say yes to the people above them. They say “yes” to keep everybody happy and will often do so no matter what their superiors are asking of them.
The definition of “yes-man,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person who agrees with everything their employer, leader, etc., says in order to please them.”
No matter the task, a yes-man’s ultimate goal is to impress their bosses and keep them happy. For that reason, yes-men can often live very gloomy lives, and they’ll struggle to ever see true advancements in their careers because their superiors would rather keep them insight
“Yes-man” was once a slang term, though it’s also a common phrase to come by in formal situations now. A yes-man is a common person to meet in a workplace, which is why it’s popular in business contexts when you want to talk about a specific type of employee.
You might see “yes-man” in the following situations:
- He’s a yes-man, which makes him unexpendable to me.
- You’re a yes-man, and every time you talk to the boss, I feel like I hate you!
- Would you please quit being a yes-man? It makes it really hard to like you around here when you always agree with the boss’s dumb rules.
What Is A Blind Follower?
Now that we’ve covered all the best synonyms, it’s time to look at the meaning of a blind follower.
A blind follower means to follow without question. No matter what issues or problems you might face by following a particular person or entity, you’ll still happily follow them because you believe it’s the best thing to do for yourself.
It’s nearly impossible to convince blind followers to change their minds.
We use the word “blind” here as an adjective to mean that somebody hasn’t seen the full picture and isn’t able to make up a clear image of what the best thing to do is. They would prefer to let someone else think for them.
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Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.