Etymology
Origin of fervor
1350–1400; Middle English fervo ( u ) r < Anglo-French < Latin fervor heat ( see fervent, -or 1)
Explanation
Use fervor to describe an intensity of emotion or expression. Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers show so much fervor that they "bleed Dodger blue." This noun comes to us from Latin fervere, meaning "to boil, glow." In the English word fervor, the suffix –or means "a condition or property of something." There is another –or suffix that means "a person or thing that does the thing expressed by the verb." A corresponding adjective is fervent; synonyms of the noun and adjective are ardor and ardent.
Vocabulary lists containing fervor
Lord of the Flies
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Great Expectations
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Twelfth Night
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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.
George Washington’s vision of the American West fueled his patriotic fervor in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
In an effort to hold the interest of shoppers, Pepsi has tried to stretch the limits of the nation’s ongoing wellness fervor with new rollouts like Doritos with protein and fiber-infused SunChips and Smartfood.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
It kicks off with The Times’ Book Prizes ceremony Friday night, followed by two days of literary fervor.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
O’Keeffe and Stieglitz both found a kindred spirit in Lawrence’s intense passion for nature and its spiritual dimensions, pantheistic in its fervor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
If Jack was astonished by their fervor he did not show it.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
