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:
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
But it did praise Bourgeois, with Stuart Heritage calling him "the most enthusiastic enthusiast currently working on planet Earth".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 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
A speed enthusiast knows that everything he says or does is brilliant.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
This enforced scarcity, according to enthusiasts, will protect Bitcoin’s value from inflation and mismanagement.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
The companies are betting that as the next generation of fashion enthusiasts comes of age, an even larger wedge of their wallets will go to secondhand fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Skincare enthusiasts may be familiar with the double-cleanse routine for the face: An oil-based cleanser or balm followed by a water-based cleanser.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
To many enthusiasts, Simson bikes were a beloved symbol of youthful freedom and regional identity in the east long before the AfD appeared on the scene.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Every human pastime—music, cooking, sports, art, theoretical physics—develops an argot to spare its enthusiasts from having to say or type a long-winded description every time they refer to a familiar concept in each other’s company.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
