Fundy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An informal, often disparaging name for someone who holds strict fundamentalist religious beliefs, especially a conservative Christian
2. A slang term for a person with rigid, literal religious convictions, most often a conservative evangelical Christian
3. Informal and sometimes derogatory slang for a believer who adheres to a strict, uncompromising interpretation of religious doctrine

Etymology: "Fundy" is an alternative spelling of "fundie," a clipped form of "fundamentalist" with the informal suffix "-ie" added. The shortening follows the same pattern as many colloquial English words, where a longer term is trimmed and given a cheerful ending: "fundamentalist" becomes "fundie," and "fundie" can then be spelled "fundy" as well. The term is used mostly as a casual or sometimes disparaging label for people holding strict or literalist religious views, and the clipped form signals an informal, often insider or critical tone. Because the shortened form is so much easier to say than the original, it spread quickly in conversation and in writing where the full word would sound stiff.

Synonyms: fundamentalist

Antonyms: liberal