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:
As a not-so-closet space enthusiast, I find the shift in thinking especially interesting.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
“I was a lifelong enthusiast and industry nerd. But today’s cars and auto culture have lost me. What am I doing wrong?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
During the process, volunteers have contributed to the project as well as Lego enthusiast Steph Porter and her husband who helped plan and design it.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Cuthbert confessed that she was unaware of Fortune’s books before taking up the role, but has since become an enthusiast of Fortune’s works.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 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
Holbeche said enthusiasts should scout out a location beforehand using an outstretched hand.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
He argued more than 40 cases before the Supreme Court and co-founded SCOTUSblog, a digital publication that is widely read by legal practitioners and enthusiasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
BPC-157: It is well-known to peptide enthusiasts — and one of the few to have at least one study conducted in humans that appears to back up some of the claims for its benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Roughly a dozen people at the if-you-know-you-know event grooved and shuffled to EDM music while kayak enthusiasts paddled by and locals fished for carp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
These lives were lived in parallel—war was a hobby for the enthusiasts and no less serious for that.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
