ardent

[ahr-dnt]

See more synonyms for ardent on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having, expressive of, or characterized by intense feeling; passionate; fervent: an ardent vow; ardent love.
intensely devoted, eager, or enthusiastic; zealous: an ardent theatergoer. an ardent student of French history.
vehement; fierce: They were frightened by his ardent, burning eyes.

burning, fiery, or hot: the ardent core of a star.

Origin of ardent

1325–75; < Latin ārdent- (stem of ārdēns, present participle of ārdēre to burn), equivalent to ārd- burn + -ent- -ent; replacing Middle English ardant < Middle French

Related formsar·dent·ly, adverbar·den·cy

[ahr-dn-see] /ˈɑr dn si/, ar·dent·ness, noun

Synonyms for ardent

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. fervid, eager, impassioned. 2. avid.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ardent

avid, zealous, impassioned, vehement, intense, keen, fierce, passionate, fervent, devoted, resolute, steadfast, agog, blazing, burning, desirous, eager, fervid, fiery, horny

Examples from the Web for ardent

Contemporary Examples of ardent

The outré character is sure to throw even the most ardent fans of the Golden Globe winner for a loop.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’
Marlow Stern
December 4, 2014
The pathetic dives and writhing on the field is a turn off to the most ardent American fan.
What Hillary Clinton Can Learn From Portugal, Costa Rica, and England in the World Cup
Nathan Daschle
July 1, 2014
No one agreed more than the members of an ardent and motivated fan base within the CIA.
Why the CIA Loved ‘Doctor Zhivago’
Kevin Canfield
June 26, 2014
I hear it again in my ears, as I did that day in October 1971, ardent and raspy, unchanged by the passage of time.
Bernard-Henri Lévy: André Malraux’s Bangladesh, Before the Radicals
Bernard-Henri Lévy
April 28, 2014
As a result, Dugin, one of the ardent supporters and creators of that ideology, is beginning to attract international attention.
Alexander Dugin: The Crazy Ideologue of the New Russian Empire
Oleg Shynkarenko
April 2, 2014

Historical Examples of ardent

His ardent young eyes worshiped her as he stood on the pavement.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
He trembled before this innocence, so ardent and so ingenuous.
The Dream
Emile Zola
The brave and ardent 84th, commanded by Willis, dashes to the front.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
Arthur, who has just finished his studies, is still an ardent sailor.
What Sami Sings with the Birds
Johanna Spyri
Prisoners arrived fast, until we had four hundred in the Ardent.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for ardent

ardent

adjective

expressive of or characterized by intense desire or emotion; passionateardent love
intensely enthusiastic; eageran ardent longing
glowing, flashing, or shiningardent eyes
rare burningan ardent fever

Derived Formsardency, nounardently, adverb

Word Origin for ardent

C14: from Latin ārdēre to burn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ardent

adj.

early 14c., of alcoholic distillates, brandy (ardent spirits), etc., from Old French ardant (13c.) "burning, hot; zealous," from Latin ardentem (nominative ardens) "glowing, fiery, hot, ablaze," also used figuratively of passions, present participle of ardere "to burn," from PIE root *as- "to burn, glow" from PIE root *as- "to burn, glow" (cf. Old English æsce "ashes;" see ash (n.1)).

Ardent spirits (late 15c.) so called because they are inflammable, but the term now, if used at all, probably is felt in the figurative sense. The figurative sense (of "burning with" passions, desire, etc.) is from late 14c.; literal sense of "burning, parching" (c.1400) remains rare. Related: Ardently.