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:
The steady decrease in quality is unmistakable, and it’s perfectly conceivable that even a day-one Marvel enthusiast would feel the facade crumbling at some point.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
But another young Reform enthusiast rejected that, telling me: "It's all documented and there on camera – Nigel has to be more careful about what party members say."
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
This route brings people together, including me and my car enthusiast friends, who regularly go on these driving excursions — gas prices be damned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
"There is a local saying that if you put a camera at an intersection in Chongqing, every 30 seconds you'll see a motorcycle pass by," said Zhang Yuanming, a 29-year-old motorbike enthusiast and instructor.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 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
But at home, enthusiasts are touting a boom in domestic production.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Having previously established contacts within the universe of Insta meme-makers, I messaged a few sloppypasta enthusiasts to see whether they might be willing to speak to their use of these captions.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Soon after, word spread among bird enthusiasts and out came the “birdarazzi.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
With 350 days of sunshine per year, outdoor enthusiasts have plenty of opportunities to play pickleball, hike and golf.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
These lives were lived in parallel—war was a hobby for the enthusiasts and no less serious for that.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
