ad·her·ent
ad-ˈhir-ənt 
əd-
: one who adheres to something: such as
a
: a follower of a leader, party, or profession
Freud's adherents
b
: a believer in or advocate especially of a particular idea or church
adherents of Christianity
adherents of socialism
1
: able or tending to adhere
an adherent material
2
: connected or associated with especially by contract
nations adherent to the treaty
3
: adnate
adherently
adverb
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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
Noun
an adherent of free trade
the Flat Earth Society surely doesn't have many adherents
Adjective
the bandage is made from a mildly adherent fiber
Recent Examples on the Web
Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
At its peak, Christianity in Japan boasted some 500,000 adherents, the majority of them clustered in Nagasaki.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024
Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
Researchers separated out a group of patients who took their medication for at least a full 120 days, to make sure the difference couldn’t be chalked up to one group being more adherent than the other.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for adherent 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Cisco Aguilar, Nevada Secretary of State Since winning his 2022 race by a narrow margin against a Trump-backing Big Lie adherent and QAnon sympathizer, Aguilar, a Democrat, has invested $30 million to modernize the state’s voting infrastructure.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
At its peak, Christianity in Japan boasted some 500,000 adherents, the majority of them clustered in Nagasaki.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024
Adjective
For example, in the HIV disease area, patients on single tablet regimens are more adherent and persistent than those on multiple tablet treatments.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
Researchers separated out a group of patients who took their medication for at least a full 120 days, to make sure the difference couldn’t be chalked up to one group being more adherent than the other.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for adherent
Dictionary Entries Near adherent
Cite this Entry
“Adherent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adherent. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adherent
1 of 2 adjective
ad·her·ent
ad-ˈhir-ənt
əd-
: able or tending to adhere
adherent
2 of 2 noun
: a person who adheres to a leader, belief, or group
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