ardent
Americanadjective
-
having, expressive of, or characterized by intense feeling; passionate; fervent.
an ardent vow;
ardent love.
- Synonyms:
- impassioned, eager, fervid
-
intensely devoted, eager, or enthusiastic; zealous.
an ardent theatergoer;
an ardent student of French history.
-
fiercely bright; glowing like fire.
They were frightened by his ardent, burning eyes.
-
Archaic or Literary. burning, fiery, or hot.
the ardent core of a star.
adjective
-
expressive of or characterized by intense desire or emotion; passionate
ardent love
-
intensely enthusiastic; eager
an ardent longing
-
glowing, flashing, or shining
ardent eyes
-
rare burning
an ardent fever
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ardent
First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin ārdent- (stem of ārdēns, present participle of ārdēre “to burn”), equivalent to ārd- “burn” + -ent- noun and adjective suffix ( see -ent), replacing Middle English ardant, from Middle French
Explanation
If you are ardent, you are passionate about something. A pop star's ardent admirers might go so crazy at his concert that they faint from excitement. Ardent is most often used to modify words like supporter, fan, advocate, admirer, and defender — but also opponent. Although you can either ardently support or oppose something, "support" appears more often in common usage. The word literally means "burning" or "glowing" — it's from the Latin verb ardere, "to burn." In poetic use, the word is sometimes used to mean "glowing," as Alexander Pope meant it in his 1718 translation of Homer's Iliad: "From rank to rank she darts her ardent eyes."
Vocabulary lists containing ardent
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Grade 10, List 1
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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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.
Even the most ardent Celtic supporters would struggle to share their manager's optimism given they sit 34th of 36 teams in the competition after two games.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Shaw was born in 1837 in Dartmouth, Mass. His wealthy parents, Francis and Sarah, were ardent abolitionists who migrated to a succession of like-minded communities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The NBA has one of the youngest and most ardent fan bases — making Iger and Kushner’s takeover a promising turn for the NBA amid Mark Walters’ legal problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Detractors responded in turn, worrying that Grande’s ardent fans were enabling the singer’s unhealthy behavior and speculated eating disorder.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
They were for ever ardent and craving; still I desired love and fellowship, and I was still spurned.
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
