passionate

adjective

pas·​sion·​ate ˈpa-sh(ə-)nət 

1

a

: easily aroused to anger

a passionate but not a vicious boy

—H. E. Scudder

b

: filled with anger : angry

was passionate in her defense of her cub, and rage transformed her

—G. D. Brown

2

a

: capable of, affected by, or expressing intense feeling

a passionate performance

a passionate coach

b

: enthusiastic, ardent

is passionate about basketball

3

: swayed by or affected with sexual desire

a passionate love affair

passionateness noun

Synonyms

• concupiscent
• goatish
• horny
• hot
• hypersexual
• itchy
• lascivious
• lecherous
• lewd
• libidinous
• licentious
• lubricious
• lubricous
• lustful
• oversexed
• randy
• salacious
• satyric
• wanton

Choose the Right Synonym for passionate

impassioned, passionate, ardent, fervent, fervid, perfervid mean showing intense feeling.

impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

perfervid implies the expression of exaggerated or overwrought feelings.

perfervid expressions of patriotism

Examples of passionate in a Sentence

He gave a passionate speech on tax reform.

She has a passionate interest in animal rights.

She is passionate about art.

We were moved by his passionate plea for forgiveness.

Recent Examples on the Web

The couple alternates between passionate embraces and domestic tension (an ambulance shows up in their driveway, at one point, its whirring red and blue light hinting something sinister has just taken place). —Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025

Sanchez, who described herself as a passionate volleyball player in her youth, talked of girls’ losing coveted spots on teams, and in some cases suffering injuries during games because of trans athletes unfairly competing against them. —Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025

In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K. Daisy is passionate about all things space, with a penchant for solar activity and space weather. —Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Adaptability: Evolving With the Times Chamberlain adapted and reinvented himself over the years, stepping into more complex roles like the passionate Father Ralph in The Thorn Birds and the ambitious Allan Quatermain in the epic adventure Shōgun. —Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for passionate

• compassionate
• dispassionate

Kids Definition

passionate

adjective

pas·​sion·​ate ˈpash-(ə-)nət 

1

: excited or easily excited to strong feeling

2

: showing or expressing strong feeling

3

: strongly affected with sexual desire

passionately adverb