enthusiasm
[en-thoo-zee-az-uh m]
- 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.
Show More
Origin of enthusiasm
Synonyms
See more synonyms for enthusiasm on Thesaurus.com1. eagerness, warmth, fervor, zeal, ardor, passion, devotion.
Antonyms
1. indifference.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for enthusiasm
Contemporary Examples
Having finally seen Selma on November 17, I must report, sadly, that I do not share the enthusiasm the film has generated so far.
Yet for all his enthusiasm for the American film industry, he remained forever an expatriate.
I so loved the fierce bodily contact of football that I suppose my enthusiasm made up somewhat for my lack of size.
But the enthusiasm has not dropped off among conservatives.
Page, who is with the girls when we speak, says she can “see their enthusiasm, their energy.”
Historical Examples
But her interest in his hobby for once failed to awaken his enthusiasm.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
Burke slapped his leg with an enthusiasm that might have broken a weaker member.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
If his enthusiasm had not run counter to my rights, I might have admired it.
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
"But she is right," exclaimed Hubert, again carried away by her enthusiasm.
The DreamEmile Zola
John felt that he had been rebuked for an excess of enthusiasm.
The Foolish LoversSt. John G. Ervine
enthusiasm
- 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
Show More
Word Origin
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
n.
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.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper