ardor

[ahr-der]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ardor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion: She spoke persuasively and with ardor.

intense devotion, eagerness, or enthusiasm; zeal: his well-known ardor for Chinese art.

burning heat.

Also especially British, ar·dour.

Origin of ardor

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin, equivalent to ārd(ēre) to burn + -or -or¹; replacing Middle English ardure < Old French ardur < Latin, as above; 17th century ardour < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Synonyms for ardor

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ardor ON THESAURUS.COM

1. fervency, spirit, earnestness, intensity.

Examples from the Web for ardor

In the end, talent and technique got the better of ardor and audacity.
Team USA Goes Down Swinging in 2-1 World Cup Loss to Belgium|Tunku Varadarajan|July 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though they look like little potsers and nudniks—wise men of Chelm—they are made vibrant by the ardor of their claims.
Smoked Fish Surrealism: Ben Katchor’s Comics of NYC Neurotics|Jacob Siegel|March 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Primary voters have two qualities by which they operate: ardor and calculation.
The GOP's Post-Palin Comedown|Michael Tomasky|October 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The GOP had its ardor candidates, like Pat Buchanan in 1992, but they were understood to be temporary phenomena or unelectable.
The GOP's Post-Palin Comedown|Michael Tomasky|October 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST

I wish that the ardor for information on our jobs initiative would be as strong as it is on this other subject.
What’s Next for Weiner?|Jill Lawrence|June 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST
A continuation of set assignments in most textbooks would dampen the ardor of pupils generally.
Adequate Preparation for the Teacher of Biological Sciences in Secondary Schools|James Daley McDonald
Since then their ardor has cooled, and their adjectives grown flabby.
Socialism and Democracy in Europe|Samuel P. Orth
His personal taste, however, ran more to painting; for some months he worked at his canvases with an ardor too great to last long.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 12|Elbert Hubbard
This plain is used as a parade-ground, and the Dutch cavalry charge over it with ardor, inspired by such heroic memories.
From Egypt to Japan|Henry M. Field
I had all the trouble in the world to curb the ardor of King Hiram who dragged me along the shadowy labyrinth of corridors.
Atlantida|Pierre Benoit

Word Origin and History for ardor

early 15c., "heat of passion or desire," from Old French ardure "heat, glow; passion" (12c.), from Latin ardorem (nominative ardor) "a flame, fire, burning, heat;" also of feelings, etc., "eagerness, zeal," from ardere "to burn" (see ardent). In Middle English, used of base passions; since Milton's time, of noble ones.