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Synonym Chooser

How is the word ardent different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of ardent are fervent, fervid, impassioned, passionate, and perfervid. While all these words mean "showing intense feeling," ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

When is fervent a more appropriate choice than ardent?

The words fervent and ardent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

When is it sensible to use fervid instead of ardent?

While the synonyms fervid and ardent are close in meaning, fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

When can impassioned be used instead of ardent?

While in some cases nearly identical to ardent, impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

When could passionate be used to replace ardent?

In some situations, the words passionate and ardent are roughly equivalent. However, passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

When might perfervid be a better fit than ardent?

The meanings of perfervid and ardent largely overlap; however, perfervid implies the expression of exaggerated or overwrought feelings.

perfervid expressions of patriotism

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ardent Trump has been ardent in his belief that Pete Rose should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2025 Some fans were ardent, but the picture was not a box office success. Carmel Dagan, Variety, 13 May 2025 Benjamin Butler, who at the 1860 Democratic National Convention had voted fifty-seven times for Jefferson Davis, was by 1862 the idol of the most ardent abolitionists in Congress. Matthew Karp, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025 Among Mao’s most ardent admirers, there’s a sense of pride that the US president appears to be borrowing from the revolutionary playbook of their esteemed supreme leader. Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for ardent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ardent
Adjective
  • His passionate pursuit of public service, driven by principle and purpose and not self-aggrandizement, was Gerry’s secret sauce.
    Paul Laudicina, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
  • The wistful cover makes the case for focusing more on the ballad and less on the power, aspect associated with the passionate love song.
    Marina Watts, People.com, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • Xu is an avid Gold State Warriors basketball fan but has a soft spot for the Chicago Bulls, having spent many years in Illinois.
    Samantha Subin, CNBC, 31 May 2025
  • An avid cyclist and mountaineer, Williams has summited six of the seven highest peaks on Earth, including Mt. Everest.
    Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • One idea is that about a million years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled and underwent a phase transition, an event similar to how boiling water turns liquid into gas.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Scientific American, 3 Mar. 2020
  • If candy is still stuck on, pour more boiling water over whatever hasn’t come clean.
    Washington Post, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • The resulting jump in bond yields to near two-decade highs raised long-term borrowing costs and served as a stark warning for the path ahead that was echoed privately by a handful of Trump allies and to CNN and publicly by one of Trump’s most fervent defenders.
    Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
  • In Jimmy Carter's case, transparency about melanoma that had spread to his brain in 2015, as well as his fervent religious faith and subsequent recovery from the dreaded disease, only made the former president seem heroic.
    Barbara A. Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • We are primed to value privileged or secret wisdom, vulnerable to flattery and suggestion, and enthusiastic about major leaps forward in scientific potential.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2025
  • Her personality will be a great addition to a loving, supportive and enthusiastic family.
    The Star, Kansas City Star, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Peña said that because the physical changes to the third floor will be minimal, the new flea market should be open in the next couple of weeks — just in time to avoid Miami’s searing summer heat and sudden thunderstorms.
    Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 21 May 2025
  • Pyroclastic clouds, or a dense mixture of ash, gas and rock dispersed during a volcanic eruption, caused a searing, rapid avalanche of debris to fill the home, Zuchtriegel said.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • But for his versatility, the variety in his attacking link-up and movement, and his ever-presence in a tough City season, there is reason to be excited for what lies ahead.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • Artist Tina Birkhoff said this was her first year displaying her work at the event and was very excited to be at the show over the weekend.
    David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Pour hot cream over chocolate chips in a large heatproof mixing bowl; let stand 3 minutes.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 22 May 2025
  • Science funding is a hot topic these days and people have questions about how grants work.
    Kelly S. Mix, The Conversation, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ardent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ardent. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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