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Synonyms

zeal

American  
[zeel] / zil /

noun

  1. fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.

    Synonyms:
    passion, intensity
    Antonyms:
    apathy

zeal British  
/ ziːl /

noun

  1. fervent or enthusiastic devotion, often extreme or fanatical in nature, as to a religious movement, political cause, ideal, or aspiration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • underzeal noun
  • zealless adjective

Etymology

Origin of zeal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English zele, from Late Latin zēlus “jealousy, rivalry,” from Greek zêlos

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.

What he did have was a lab, called Flapping Airplanes, a novel idea for training AI models and a zeal to hire talented young researchers eager to tackle AI’s biggest problems.

From The Wall Street Journal

Once the zeal of republican liberty cooled, 19th-century universities provided homes to such scientists of sacrifice as ethnographers, philologists, sociologists, historians and anthropologists.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their opinions may be diametrically opposed but they are held with equivalent zeal.

From BBC

In “tiny habit” experiments, trivial actions prove far more durable than grand ambitions launched with January zeal.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite the Grinch’s anti-consumerist zeal, the market for his visage has exploded in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times