passion

[ pash-uhn ]

/ ˈpæʃ ən /

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See synonyms for: passion / passions on Thesaurus.com

noun

any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

strong amorous feeling or desire; love; affection.

strong sexual desire; lust.

an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.

a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.

a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music.

the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him.

an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.

violent anger.

the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, especially something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior (contrasted with action).

(often initial capital letter)Theology.

the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper.
the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels.

Archaic. the sufferings of a martyr.

OTHER WORDS FOR passion

6 fervor, zeal, ardor.

9 ire, fury, wrath, rage.

See synonyms for passion on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR passion

1 apathy.

See antonyms for passion on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of passion

1125–75; Middle English (<Old French ) <Medieval Latin passiōn- (stem of passiō) Christ's sufferings on the cross, any of the Biblical accounts of these (>late Old English passiōn), special use of Late Latin passiō suffering, submission, derivative of Latin passus, past participle of patī to suffer, submit; see -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM passion

pas·sion·ful, adjectivepas·sion·ful·ly, adverbpas·sion·ful·ness, nounpas·sion·like, adjective

Words nearby passion

passing, passing bell, passing lane, passing note, passing shot, passion, passional, passionary, passionate, passionately, Passion cross

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say passion?

Passion refers to any powerful emotion or feeling, such as love or hate. When should you use this noun over feeling, emotion, or sentiment? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

How to use passion in a sentence

She has a passion for helping her community and educating others through her writing.
What I learned from 5 years of cleaning airplanes in the middle of the night|matthewheimer|August 30, 2020|Fortune
She also began allowing employees to focus on passion projects, and said doing so made everyone more excited about their jobs and more eager to perform well.
How managers can recognize burnout remotely|Kristine Gill|August 28, 2020|Fortune
For actress Maggie Siff, holed up in Maine with her family during the pandemic and rekindling old passions, America’s racial justice reckoning has been powerful.
Actress Maggie Siff on Virtue Signaling and Her ‘Allergy to Social Media’|Eromo Egbejule|August 12, 2020|Ozy
Nasirabadi Reza is an internet marketing specialist with a passion for writing and sharing valuable insights gained through years of experience in the industry.
Podcasts and internet marketing: Are you missing the boat?|Nasirabadi Reza|July 30, 2020|Search Engine Watch

Most brands are still committed to the passion of it and a sponsorship strategy.
‘The audience is still there’: How U.K. sports outlets pivoted to branded content, social video to keep fans engaged as seasons were delayed|Lucinda Southern|July 29, 2020|Digiday
Comments like that are designed to stoke the fires of fan-passion—and it works beautifully.
All Your Internet Boyfriends Are Taken: Gosling, Cumberbatch, and now Joseph Gordon-Levitt|Melissa Leon|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sex and passion; compulsive, life-changing, soul-altering sex, all to be made more explicit than he had done in the past.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the course of my time behind the bar I developed a passion for single malt Scotch.
A Whisky Connoisseur Remembers That First Sip of The Macallan||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The machismo of Afghan male culture apparently coexists with a little-noted passion for gardening.
Afghanistan, We Hardly Knew You|Jonathan Foreman|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The younger brother would try everything in his power from a distance to subdue the roaring flames of passion.
Decoding Vincent Van Gogh’s Tempestuous, Fragile Mind|Nick Mafi|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To Americans Mrs. Wright is interesting by reason of her patriotism, which amounted to a passion.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
A look of passion came into the face of the watching boy, and again he fingered his revolver.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Under all man's dreams of eternal gods and eternal heavens lies man's passion for the eternal feminine.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The Seneschal stood with blanched face and gaping mouth, his fire all turned to ashes before the passion of this gaunt man.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
“I went into a great passion and frightened my mother into a fit,” said Wardle.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for passion (1 of 2)

passion

/ (ˈpæʃən) /

noun

ardent love or affection

intense sexual love

a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object, concept, etca passion for poetry

any strongly felt emotion, such as love, hate, envy, etc

a state or outburst of extreme angerhe flew into a passion

the object of an intense desire, ardent affection, or enthusiasm

an outburst expressing intense emotionhe burst into a passion of sobs

philosophy

any state of the mind in which it is affected by something external, such as perception, desire, etc, as contrasted with action
feelings, desires or emotions, as contrasted with reason

the sufferings and death of a Christian martyr

Word Origin for passion

C12: via French from Church Latin passiō suffering, from Latin patī to suffer

British Dictionary definitions for passion (2 of 2)

Passion

/ (ˈpæʃən) /

noun

the sufferings of Christ from the Last Supper to his death on the cross

any of the four Gospel accounts of this

a musical setting of thisthe St Matthew Passion

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

passion

OTHER WORDS FOR passion

OPPOSITES FOR passion

Origin of passion

OTHER WORDS FROM passion

Words nearby passion

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say passion?

Words related to passion

How to use passion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for passion (1 of 2)

Word Origin for passion

British Dictionary definitions for passion (2 of 2)