passionate
Americanadjective
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having, compelled by, or ruled by intense emotion or strong feeling; fervid.
a passionate advocate of socialism.
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easily aroused to or influenced by sexual desire; ardently sensual.
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expressing, showing, or marked by intense or strong feeling; emotional.
passionate language.
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intense or vehement, as emotions or feelings.
passionate grief.
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easily moved to anger; quick-tempered; irascible.
adjective
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manifesting or exhibiting intense sexual feeling or desire
a passionate lover
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capable of, revealing, or characterized by intense emotion
a passionate plea
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easily roused to anger; quick-tempered
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of passionate
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin passiōnātus, equivalent to Late Latin passiōn- passion + Latin -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Something that is passionate packs emotion, and possibly romantic emotion. A passionate plea will tug on your heartstrings and a passionate kiss will sweep you off your feet. If you want to stay unmoved, stay away from the passionate. If you're passionate about soccer, you can't get enough of it — you've got soccer pennants plastered on your walls, your TV is permanently tuned to the soccer channel, and you probably wear soccer jerseys under your button-down shirt. Passion can also come from intense feelings of love for a person. Be careful — you could be swept up in "a passionate embrace."
Vocabulary lists containing passionate
Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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Tuesdays with Morrie
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Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume
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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.
She’s passionate about feral cats because there are too many in Los Angeles and hopes one day every neighborhood could have a cohort of volunteer cat rescuers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
His peregrinations are the prelude to a love story as passionate as it is fleeting.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
If SpaceX is allowed to try really hard to infiltrate your sensible money-market index fund, why not put it into something you’re actually passionate about, like an ultra-rare mint condition Umbreon card?
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
When it emerged that two of the killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, could be released early, there were passionate calls for the government to intervene and block those convicted of manslaughter from early release.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
But the conflict within the American revolutionary generation remained a passionate yet bloodless affair in which the energies released by national independence did not devour its own children.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
