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• passion
  passion

  noun

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

  noun

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

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Passion comes from a Latin word meaning what?

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passion

American  

[pash-uhn] / ˈpæʃ ən /

noun

• passions
  plural

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

   Antonyms:

   apathy

2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; affection.

3. strong sexual desire; lust.

4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.

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

6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything.

   a passion for music.

   Synonyms:

   ardor, zeal, fervor

7. the object of such a fondness or desire.

   Accuracy became a passion with him.

8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling.

   He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.

9. violent anger.

   Synonyms:

   rage, wrath, fury, ire

10. 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).

11. (often initial capital letter)

    1. the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper.

    2. the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels.

12. Archaic. the sufferings of a martyr.

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passion ¹ British  

/ ˈpæʃən /

noun

1. ardent love or affection

2. intense sexual love

3. a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object, concept, etc

   a passion for poetry

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

5. a state or outburst of extreme anger

   he flew into a passion

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

7. an outburst expressing intense emotion

   he burst into a passion of sobs

8. philosophy

   1. any state of the mind in which it is affected by something external, such as perception, desire, etc, as contrasted with action

   2. feelings, desires or emotions, as contrasted with reason

9. the sufferings and death of a Christian martyr

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Passion ² British  

/ ˈpæʃən /

noun

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

2. any of the four Gospel accounts of this

3. a musical setting of this

   the St Matthew Passion

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• passionfulness
  noun
• passionful
  adjective
• passionlike
  adjective
• passionfully
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• passions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of passion

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin passiōn-, stem of passiō “Christ's sufferings on the cross,” any of the Biblical accounts of these, special use of Late Latin passiō “suffering, submission,” equivalent to Latin pass(us), past participle of patī “to suffer, submit” + -iō -ion; cf. patient ( def. )

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Explanation

Passion is a strong emotion, usually related to love or anger. If on your first time out together your date falls on their knees and tells you they'd die for you — they're gripped by passion (or maybe just nuts). We associate passion with any intense feeling, but centuries ago it referred specifically to intense pain. The sufferings of religions martyrs, who were tortured and killed for their beliefs, were called "passions," from the Latin passio, or suffering. Today we've dropped the torture, and most of us, when we're not in the grip of passion, have a passion (or intense interest) — for things like gardening or golf or dollhouse architecture.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

passion Passion passions

"Through his achievements, passion and unmistakable character, both on and off the track, Alan left an enduring mark on the sport both nationally and across the globe."

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

This isn’t just a jam-packed vacation on the high seas for them, it’s a passion project that begins long before the suitcases come out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

“It really started as a shared passion and interest in women’s sports and building communities and new leadership models and all the things that ‘Ted Lasso’ is about that are far beyond football.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Not to retire or pursue a passion project, but to hedge their company stock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

He couldn’t understand or accept that the passion he felt for Zita wasn’t reciprocal.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Barbara Streisand detailed the process of designing her dream home in her first book, “My Passion for Design.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Passion, humor and a snarl of defiance run through the album like a bullet.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

"Excitement is the key word. Passion," said De la Fuente.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

However violent Gandhi’s quest for non-violence becomes, the production evolves into impossible radiance, turning the opera into something resembling a Passion Play.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Passion pours from him, as if the world he’s trying to capture is inside him, bursting to come out.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Though passions may, at times, have strained the bonds of affection between the United States and Europe, it must not be allowed to break them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Often, they relate to his lifelong passions: show tunes, railroads, the big-band era, Nebraska and early Frank Sinatra performances from the 1930s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The humor comes from their passions not seeming worthy of the level of seriousness with which they pursue them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Above them hang paintings, art being another of Perea’s passions, most of them made by his friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

She could feel each of her loved ones, their passions and fears.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

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Related Words

• affection
• anger
• ardor
• dedication
• devotion
• excitement
• feeling
• fervor
• fury
• intensity
• joy
• rage
• resentment
• sentiment
• spirit
• temper
• warmth
• zeal

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