enthuse

[en-thooz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enthuse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), en·thused, en·thus·ing.

to be or become enthusiastic; show enthusiasm: All the neighbors enthused over the new baby.

verb (used with object), en·thused, en·thus·ing.

to cause to become enthusiastic.

Origin of enthuse

1820–30, Americanism; back formation from enthusiasm

Related formsqua·si-en·thused, adjectiveun·en·thused, adjective

Usage note

The verb enthuse is a 19th-century back formation from the noun enthusiasm. Originally an Americanism, enthuse is now standard and well established in the speech and all but the most formal writing of educated persons, in both Britain and the United States. It is used as a transitive verb meaning “to cause to become enthusiastic” ( The liveliness of the dance enthused the audience ) and as an intransitive verb meaning “to show enthusiasm” ( She enthused warmly over his performance ). Despite its long history and frequent occurrence, however, enthuse is still strongly disapproved of by many.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for enthused

excited, eager

Examples from the Web for enthused

Contemporary Examples of enthused

Almost everything in it has potential for bipartisan support, he enthused.
Paul Ryan’s Plan: Rebooting Compassionate Conservatism
Eleanor Clift
July 24, 2014
What a sauce that is,” he enthused, “which dresses an oyster I suck from the mouth of the woman I love!
Seduce Like a Writer: How 7 Famous Scribes Wooed
Joni Rendon, Shannon McKenna Schmidt
February 13, 2014
Online, the reaction to the congress was less than enthused, especially on Chinese microblogs collectively known as Weibo.
Who Will Become China’s New Men in Black?
Dan Levin
November 13, 2012
Jewish voters in Florida, according to a report in the Forward, are less than enthused about this presidential election.
Florida, Obama and Israel
Ali Gharib
October 16, 2012
“I realized the meaning of life after watching this,” enthused one recent commenter.
10 Outrageous Attack Ads: Bain, Burning Money, & More (Videos)
The Daily Beast Video
August 10, 2012

Historical Examples of enthused

"You shall know the most wonderful girl of all," enthused Helen.
Jane Allen: Center
Edith Bancroft
By the look on my wife's face I could tell that she was enthused, too.
Those Times And These
Irvin S. Cobb
"Swell," enthused Neil, this time his face twisted into a grimace of pleasure.
All In The Mind
Gene L. Henderson
Captain Clarke got him all enthused; the Captain promised to write, too.
Chicken Little Jane on the Big John
Lily Munsell Ritchie
Hautecoeur was talking with an enthused fervor that swept him into metaphor.
The Key to Yesterday
Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for enthused

enthuse

verb

to feel or show or cause to feel or show enthusiasm

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 enthused

enthuse

1827, American English, back-formation from enthusiasm. Originally often humorous or with affected ignorance. Related: enthused; enthusing.