zealous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of zealous
First recorded in 1520–30; from Medieval Latin zēlōsus; see origin at zeal, -ous
Explanation
Use the adjective zealous as a way to describe eagerness or enthusiastic activity. If you are too zealous in your efforts to decorate the house with Christmas lights, you might cause a power outage for the whole neighborhood. Zealous is the adjective for the noun zeal, "eager partisanship"; the latter has a long e, but zealous has a short one: ZEL-uhs. It can have a slightly negative connotation, and people are sometimes described as overzealous, meaning they try too hard. Zealous rhymes with jealous (and in fact they both derive from the same Greek word), but don't confuse them: a jealous person might be resentful of someone who makes zealous efforts to achieve success.
Vocabulary lists containing zealous
"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.
As someone who’s being kept alive this very month by incredible advances in biotechnology, I am a zealous proponent for disruptive innovation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
The reality is, zealous secondhand shoppers may be contributing to the problem.
From Slate • Jan. 26, 2026
Unwittingly, zealous regulators have turned stock markets into the casinos that commissioner Crenshaw deplores.
From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026
In Dumbarton the situation was stoked by zealous local ministers, with the Covenanter movement having considerable influence at the time.
From BBC • Oct. 30, 2025
After that, ten times more zealous, I planted beans and sweet potatoes, brinjals and chillies, and they all grew well under my hand, so that we ate even better than we had done before.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
