enthusiasm

[en-thoo-zee-az-uhm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enthusiasm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit; lively interest: He shows marked enthusiasm for his studies.

an occupation, activity, or pursuit in which such interest is shown: Hunting is his latest enthusiasm.

any of various forms of extreme religious devotion, usually associated with intense emotionalism and a break with orthodoxy.

Origin of enthusiasm

1570–80; < Late Latin enthūsiasmus < Greek enthousiasmós, equivalent to enthousí(a) possession by a god (énthous, variant of éntheos having a god within, equivalent to en- en-² + -thous, -theos god-possessing + -ia -y³) + -asmos, variant, after vowel stems, of -ismos -ism

Related formsan·ti·en·thu·si·asm, nounhy·per·en·thu·si·asm, nouno·ver·en·thu·si·asm, nounpre·en·thu·si·asm, nounun·en·thu·si·asm, noun

Synonyms for enthusiasm

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enthusiasm ON THESAURUS.COM

1. eagerness, warmth, fervor, zeal, ardor, passion, devotion.

Antonyms for enthusiasm

1. indifference.

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

Related Words for enthusiasm

emotion, eagerness, interest, zeal, joy, energy, warmth, fury, intensity, passion, fervor, ardor, frenzy, feeling, spirit, devotion, nerve, keenness, fad, vim

Examples from the Web for enthusiasm

Contemporary Examples of enthusiasm

Having finally seen Selma on November 17, I must report, sadly, that I do not share the enthusiasm the film has generated so far.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’
Gary May
January 2, 2015
Yet for all his enthusiasm for the American film industry, he remained forever an expatriate.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
I so loved the fierce bodily contact of football that I suppose my enthusiasm made up somewhat for my lack of size.
How His West Point Football Experience Inspired Eisenhower
Nicolaus Mills
November 11, 2014
But the enthusiasm has not dropped off among conservatives.
With Ernst and Gardner, Republicans Think They’ve Found the Formula
Eleanor Clift
November 4, 2014
Page, who is with the girls when we speak, says she can “see their enthusiasm, their energy.”
Meet the Liberian Girls Beating Ebola
Abby Haglage
October 29, 2014

Historical Examples of enthusiasm

But her interest in his hobby for once failed to awaken his enthusiasm.
Viviette
William J. Locke
Burke slapped his leg with an enthusiasm that might have broken a weaker member.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
If his enthusiasm had not run counter to my rights, I might have admired it.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
"But she is right," exclaimed Hubert, again carried away by her enthusiasm.
The Dream
Emile Zola
John felt that he had been rebuked for an excess of enthusiasm.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine

British Dictionary definitions for enthusiasm

enthusiasm

noun

ardent and lively interest or eagerness

an object of keen interest; passion

archaic extravagant or unbalanced religious fervour

obsolete possession or inspiration by a god

Word Origin for enthusiasm

C17: from Late Latin enthūsiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein to be possessed by a god, from entheos inspired, from en- ² + theos god

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 enthusiasm

c.1600, from Middle French enthousiasme (16c.) and directly from Late Latin enthusiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos "divine inspiration," from enthousiazein "be inspired or possessed by a god, be rapt, be in ecstasy," from entheos "divinely inspired, possessed by a god," from en "in" (see en- (2)) + theos "god" (see Thea). Acquired a derogatory sense of "excessive religious emotion" (1650s) under the Puritans; generalized sense of "fervor, zeal" (the main modern sense) is first recorded 1716.