ardour
Britishnoun
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feelings of great intensity and warmth; fervour
-
eagerness; zeal
Etymology
Origin of ardour
C14: from Old French ardour, from Latin ārdor, from ārdēre to burn
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.
The duke was sent to Germany to cool his ardour, but the imposed distance failed to quench the flame.
From BBC • Sep. 5, 2025
What right would I have, in my circumstances, to lapse into the passivity of despair, having witnessed the ardour and courage with which such people have pursued their struggles?
From Salon • May 28, 2025
Xi, by contrast, is widely seen as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, which analysts say fuels an ardour for implementation and amplification by China's sprawling bureaucracy.
From Reuters • Aug. 11, 2021
The subjective nature of pain chilled their ardour further.
From Nature • Sep. 10, 2019
He wrote to Fox that his son had “caught the other day Brachinus crepitans My Blood boiled with old ardour when he caught a Licinus—a prize unknown to me.”
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
