zeal
[zeel]
- fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.
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Origin of zeal
1350–1400; Middle English zele < Late Latin zēlus < Greek zêlos
Synonyms
See more synonyms for zeal on Thesaurus.comintensity, passion.
Antonyms
apathy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for zeal
Contemporary Examples
He implored me to do so with the zeal of someone who had just found God, emphatically praising the article.
Even as the ranks of culture warriors on the right diminish, their zeal seems to intensify.
One of those preachers admitted to The Daily Beast that he was taken aback by her zeal.
With that kind of zeal, squeezing in extracurriculars is more essential than ever.
Life’s Essentials: Serious Work, Serious Fun.July 21, 2014
Portland will always support the Thorns with classic Cascadian zeal.
Historical Examples
However, we have told her to moderate her zeal for our insulted authority.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
Methinks this is an excess of zeal for a friend who was so late an enemy!
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
It was my zeal for the king of Spain that brought me into that peril.
Leila, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
We had seven of them, when my mother interfered and put a stop to my zeal.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
I will not deny that it is a pleasure to me to find you so full of zeal.
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
zeal
- fervent or enthusiastic devotion, often extreme or fanatical in nature, as to a religious movement, political cause, ideal, or aspiration
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Word Origin
C14: from Late Latin zēlus, from Greek zēlos
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for zeal
n.
late 14c., from Late Latin zelus "zeal, emulation" (source of Old French zel, Italian zelo, Spanish celo), a Church word, from Greek zelos "zeal, ardor, jealousy," which is of uncertain origin.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper