enthusiasm
Americannoun
-
absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit; lively interest.
He shows marked enthusiasm for his studies.
- Antonyms:
- indifference
-
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.
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
Other Word Forms
- antienthusiasm noun
- hyperenthusiasm noun
- overenthusiasm noun
- preenthusiasm noun
- unenthusiasm noun
Etymology
Origin of enthusiasm
First recorded in 1570–80; from Late Latin enthūsiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmós, from enthousí(a) “possession by a god” ( énthous, variant of éntheos “having a god within,” from en- en- 2 + -thous, -theos “possessed by a god” + -ia -y 3 ( def. ) ) + -asmos, variant (after vowel stems) of -ismos -ism; theism ( def. )
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.
Games organisers said the delay was caused by "the enthusiasm and the number of people present which slowed down" torch runners.
From Barron's
The bounding dog greeted him with an explosion of enthusiasm that almost knocked the box out of his hand.
From Literature
“Investor enthusiasm for prospects on the immediate outlook may have cooled, but the market consensus of Shell as a cautious buy remains in place, with the group still preferred over major rival BP.”
"A lot of items were old or interesting and came with a story - I loved the enthusiasm of those buying what I sold," she says.
From BBC
The stock market’s fall on Tuesday reflected investor concerns about concentration risk relating to Big Tech and how investor enthusiasm for AI has contributed to stretched valuations in the market.
From MarketWatch
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.
