zeal
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of zeal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English zele, from Late Latin zēlus “jealousy, rivalry,” from Greek zêlos
Explanation
Zeal is dedication or enthusiasm for something. If you have zeal, you're willing, energized, and motivated. Zeal is often used in a religious sense, meaning devotion to God or another religious cause, like being a missionary. Zeal doesn't have to be religious, though: a feeling of gusto and enthusiasm for anything can be called zeal. People have zeal for sports teams, bands, causes, and (often, but not always) their jobs. If you have passion for something, you have zeal, which is kind of a mix of eagerness and energy and devotion.
Vocabulary lists containing zeal
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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List 1
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The Things They Carried
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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.
Gerstner is a longtime techno-optimist, spreading the gospel of Silicon Valley-style capitalism with the zeal of a revivalist preacher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
After a life-threatening case of sepsis, she's thrown herself back into that world with determined zeal.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
By the following month, the zeal had died out, partly due to a valuation correction in software.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
She also implied that, in her zeal to fix the city’s problems, she quietly pushed out a dozen high-level bureaucrats, including those who dealt with trash pickup and police recruitment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
Diego tore into the ribs with zeal, and his lips and chin, were soon slathered with barbecue sauce.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
