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:
Michigan-based Hagerty Insurance, which specializes in insuring classic and enthusiast vehicles, has seen the number of 2000s Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas it insures more than double in the past three years alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 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
As a not-so-closet space enthusiast, I find the shift in thinking especially interesting.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 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
Ralph Waldo Emerson was the center of a network of enthusiasts who sought to create a new kind of American culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
DR20 includes a wide range of resources for researchers and astronomy enthusiasts.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Cars queued on coastal roads as eclipse enthusiasts gathered on beaches from Whitstable to Goring-by-Sea.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
But Cohen was alarmed to learn that his discovery was now being promoted by legions of longevity seekers, fitness enthusiasts and wellness influencers as “exercise in a bottle.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Albert Ayler was an amazing, avant-garde saxophonist known only to the most die-hard jazz enthusiasts.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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.
