noun
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a person filled with or motivated by enthusiasm; fanatic
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archaic a religious visionary, esp one whose zeal for religion is extravagant or unbalanced
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of enthusiast
First recorded in 1600–10; from Greek enthousiastḗs “inspired person, possessed person,” from enthousí(a) “possession by a god” ( see enthusiasm) + -astēs -ast ( def. ) (variant of -istēs -ist after i )
Explanation
When you're an enthusiast, you're all jazzed up about a person or cause. A sports enthusiast is someone who is really passionate and excited about sports. Enthusiast comes from the Greek enthousiastēs, meaning "person inspired by a god." While it doesn't retain those same religious connotations today, an enthusiast is someone who is inspired by a cause or person. A candidate running for office will have a group of enthusiasts working doggedly on his campaign. Often your mother is your biggest enthusiast or supporter. Non-profit organizations are always looking for enthusiasts who can make donations and become patrons of their organization.
Vocabulary lists containing enthusiast
This Week In Culture: November 9–15, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A lifelong aviation enthusiast, she said she had always wanted to visit the airport's air traffic control tower, and described the experience as one of the highlights of her bucket list.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
There is even the European Horse Network, whose meetings with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen -- a well-known equine enthusiast -- were criticised by Corporate Europe Observatory for violating the commission's code of conduct.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
“I am such an enthusiast for rail and I really want this to be successful and just hearing these things makes it seem like we’re proceeding on a wing and a prayer.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Salisbury was colorful: A mixed martial arts enthusiast, he once appeared at the agency’s headquarters with his face bruised and eye blackened from a recent bout.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
It's hardly a secret our new king has always been an enthusiast for the Nazis.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Trump enthusiasts lined up in the dark on Tuesday morning, waiting hours for the president’s afternoon talk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Sports enthusiasts have their own dedicated amenity in the form of a clay tennis court, which is accompanied by an entertainment pavilion.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Local communities are at the heart of the week, with community halls, crofts and businesses, makers and musicians all helping to create the unique experience for the wool enthusiasts.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
One of the study's biggest surprises involved a large stick insect that had long been familiar to both scientists and insect enthusiasts.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Their network of seed enthusiasts are out to save the world.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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