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
- antienthusiast noun
Etymology
Origin of enthusiast
First recorded in 1600–10; from Greek enthousiastḗs “inspired person, possessed person,” from enthousí(a) “possession by a god” ( enthusiasm ) + -astēs -ast ( def. ) (variant of -istēs -ist after i )
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.
But it was quickly placed in the storeroom and was for a long time "unknown to all specialists and enthusiasts of the Napoleonic era," said Deldicque.
From Barron's
Producers also want to strengthen their tourism offerings for food enthusiasts, as Piedmont and Tuscany have already done for wine.
From Barron's
Some of the most fervent enthusiasts believe it will cut back the energy requirements for computationally intensive tasks.
From Barron's
The 19th century was the age of the “shotgun ornithologist,” the enthusiast who preferred his birds in the hand.
The annual three-day event draws thousands of race car enthusiasts and brings tens of millions of dollars into the city of Long Beach.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
