Fandom Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How to Use It

From basketball and soccer to football and hockey, there’s no denying that sports fandom contains some of the biggest fans on the planet — but what exactly does the word fandom mean, and where did it come from? We’ll tell you. 

In this article, we’re exploring the world of fandom to uncover the meaning behind this interesting term, its origin, usage, and more. So, if you’ve ever wondered what the word fandom’s definition is or how to use it properly in a sentence — keep reading. 

What Is the Definition of Fandom?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, fandom (\ˈfan-dəm\ \ˈfændəm\ \ˈfæn.dəm\) refers to the fans of a sports team, particular television show, comic book, anime, or a certain person. These fans are regarded collectively as a subculture or community. 

In simpler terms, fandom is essentially a way of saying fan culture.

Many members of these fandoms frequently attend fan conventions and publish their own fanfiction or fanzines; though most of the original media was print-based, most has shifted to a digital platform. 

While other members of fandoms may additionally create analytical music videos or fan vids, which focus on the source of their fandom — and yet some strictly enjoy creating simple fan art. These activities are often referred to as fanac (which is simply an abbreviation for fan activity) or fan labor.

At these fan conventions, many fanatics additionally opt to partake in cosplay, an activity where fans create and wear costumes in the likeness of the very character they adore (and at times seemingly worship).  

Fun Fact: Cosplay is a portmanteau between “play” and “costume.”

What Is the Word Origin of Fandom?

Fandom was first noted in 1903 to reference a “realm of avid enthusiasts” by combining the noun “fan” with the abstract suffix -dom. 

What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Fandom?

A fantastic way to improve your overall understanding of a new word is by researching synonyms and antonyms. 

In short, synonyms are words or phrases that have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase, whereas an antonym is a word or phrase with a different meaning as another word phrase. 

Synonyms

• Fan base
• Fanhood
• Fanship
• Fanaticism
• Devotion
• Dedication
• Partiality
• Fixation
• Over enthusiasm
• Madness
• Infatuation
• Fanatic 
• Bias
• Devotedness
• Monomania
• Passionateness
• Obsessiveness
• Verve
• Love
• Avidity
• Ardency
• Fondness
• Fervency
• Zeal
• Ardor
• Keenness
• Eagerness
• Enthusiasm
• Passion
  

Antonyms

• Anti-fandom
• Hatedom
• Indifference
• Apathy
• Calmness
• Disinterest
• Dislike
• Doubt
• Fairness
• Impartiality 
• Irresolution
• Justice
• Peace
• Peacefulness
• Unenthusiasm 
  

How Can You Use Fandom in a Sentence?

Fandom refers to every supporter — or fan — in a certain sport, but do you know how to use it in a sentence? Not to worry; here are some excellent sentence examples for you to review below:

There is no way that the Harry Potter fandom is not bigger than the likes of your puny star trek fandom!

The fandom following my current novel has convinced me to write another.

I knew that Charlie was a part of the sports fandom, but now she is reading fanfiction and work and constantly drawing fan art — it is really starting to affect her productivity!

What Are Some of the Most Notable Fandoms?

Although there are many, here are some of the most notable fandoms from all around the globe:

• Fans of the Beatles or Beatlemaniacs
• James Bond fans or Bondians
• Fans of I.C.P. (Insane Clown Posse) or Juggalos
• Fans of Firefly or Browncoats
• Fans of Madonna or Madonna wannabes
• Fans of Star Trek or Trekkies
• Fans of Doctor Who or Whovians
• The Stargate Fandom
• The Star Wars Fandom
• Fans of Sherlock Holmes or Sherlockians
• Fans of Harry Potter or Potterheads
• Fans of Jimmy Buffet or Parrotheads
• Fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or Bronies
• The Tolkien Fandom

What Are Translations of Fandom?

Now that you know how to say the word “fandom” in English let’s take a look at how to say it in a few different languages. Here are some common translations of fandom:

• Arabic — فاندوم
• Bulgarian — fandom
• Chinese (simplified) — 影迷
• American English — fandom
• Finnish — fanikunta
• British English — fandom
• German — Fangemeinde
• Greek — φαντομαρία
• Italian — fandom
• Japanese — ファンダム
• Korean — 팬덤
• Russian — поклонники
• Spanish — fandom
• Thai — แฟนด้อม
• Ukrainian — Фендому

When chatting with friends online about certain fandoms and their members, the word “fanaticism” or “over-enthusiasm” are bound to pop up. With this in mind, here are a few other translations for you to review below:

Translations of Fanaticism 

• Afrikaans — Fanatisme 
• Arabic — تعصب 
• Bulgarian — Фанатизъм 
• Chinese (simplified) — 狂热
• Croatian — fanatizam 
• Czech — fanatismus 
• Danish — fanatisme 
• Dutch — fanatisme 
• Finnish — fanaattisuus 
• French — fanatisme 
• German — Fanatismus 
• Greek — φανατισμός 
• Italian — fanatismo 
• Japanese — 狂信
• Korean — 광신 
• Norwegian — fanatisme 
• Polish — fanatyzm 
• Portuguese — fanatismo 
• Russian — фанатизм 
• Spanish — fanatismo 
• Swedish — fanaticism 
• Thai — ความคลั่งไคล้ 
• Turkish — fanatizm 
• Ukrainian — Фанатизм 

Translations of Over-Enthusiasm

• Afrikaans — oor enthousiasme
• Arabic — أكثر من الحماس
• Bulgarian — над ентусиазма
• Chinese (simplified) — 过度热情
• Croatian — preko entuzijazma
• Czech — nad nadšením
• Danish — over entusiasme
• Dutch — over enthousiasme
• Finnish — innostuksen yli
• French — sur l’enthousiasme
• German — Überbegeisterung
• Greek — υπερβολικός ενθουσιασμός
• Italian — oltre l’entusiasmo
• Japanese — 熱意を超えて
• Korean — 열정 이상
• Norwegian — over entusiasme
• Polish — nad entuzjazmem
• Portuguese — sobre o entusiasmo
• Russian — над энтузиазмом
• Spanish — sobre entusiasmo
• Swedish — över entusiasm
• Thai — มากกว่าความกระตือรือร้น
• Turkish — aşırı coşku
• Ukrainian — над ентузіазмом
• Vietnamese — quá nhiệt tình

Recap

Our word of the day can be defined as a group of individuals that admire a certain sports team, tv show, famous person, or hero. In other words, a ”fandom” is simply a community of fans, be they online or offline, active or passive.

Sources:

FANDOM English Definition and Meaning | Lexico.com

What is another word for fandom? | Fandom Synonyms | WordHippo Thesaurus