PASSION Synonyms: 243 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'passion' distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of passion are affection , emotion , feeling , and sentiment . While all these words mean "a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation," passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion. // revenge became his ruling passion

Q: When is it sensible to use 'affection' instead of 'passion'?

The synonyms affection and passion are sometimes interchangeable, but affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings. // a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family

Q: How are the words 'emotion' and 'feeling' related as synonyms of 'passion'?

Emotion carries a strong implication of excitement or agitation but, like feeling , encompasses both positive and negative responses. // the drama portrays the emotions of adolescence

Q: When would 'feeling' be a good substitute for 'passion'?

The meanings of feeling and passion largely overlap; however, feeling denotes any partly mental, partly physical response marked by pleasure, pain, attraction, or repulsion; it may suggest the mere existence of a response but imply nothing about the nature or intensity of it. // the feelings that once moved me are gone

Q: When can 'sentiment' be used instead of 'passion'?

The words sentiment and passion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sentiment often implies an emotion inspired by an idea. // her feminist sentiments are well known

passion

noun

ˈpa-shən

Definition of passion next

as in love

a feeling of strong or constant regard for and dedication to someone married at the age of 18, they share a passion that has lasted for over half a century

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as in crush

a strong but often short-lived liking for another person her passion passed when she got to know him

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as in desire

a strong wish for something a passion to become a doctor

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as in emotion

a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation people are sometimes slaves to their own passions

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as in enthusiasm

depth of feeling your passion for your cause is admirable, but you still can't insult people who disagree with you

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as in feeling

passions plural general emotional condition people who are swayed by their passions and not by reason

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as in lust

intense sexual desire their relationship began with passion but a deep love quickly grew between them

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frigidity

as in lustfulness

sexual appetite the kind of pent-up passion that comes from having spent the winter in remote isolation

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word passion distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of passion are affection, emotion, feeling, and sentiment. While all these words mean "a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation," passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion.

revenge became his ruling passion

When is it sensible to use affection instead of passion?

The synonyms affection and passion are sometimes interchangeable, but affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings.

a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family

How are the words emotion and feeling related as synonyms of passion?

Emotion carries a strong implication of excitement or agitation but, like feeling, encompasses both positive and negative responses.

the drama portrays the emotions of adolescence

When would feeling be a good substitute for passion?

The meanings of feeling and passion largely overlap; however, feeling denotes any partly mental, partly physical response marked by pleasure, pain, attraction, or repulsion; it may suggest the mere existence of a response but imply nothing about the nature or intensity of it.

the feelings that once moved me are gone

When can sentiment be used instead of passion?

The words sentiment and passion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sentiment often implies an emotion inspired by an idea.

her feminist sentiments are well known

Examples 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 passion Both coaches happen to be from Argentina, which means their passion for soccer runs deep, their training sessions are intense, and their training grounds are stocked with yerba mate. —

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2025 Released in 2010, Superficial was a passion project into which the couple invested nearly $2 million. —

Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025 On the other hand, opening a nonalcoholic bottle shop out of passion means many operators don’t have experience running a small business. —

Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 14 Jan. 2025 Rickard’s many references are informed by his lifelong passion for movies and television, production design, his Midwestern upbringing, and his earlier career as an unscripted TV producer. —

Jessica Ritz, Architectural Digest, 2 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for passion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passion

Noun

The film has particular local resonance, being the story of a decades-spanning love story between an Icelandic man and a Japanese woman who is a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack of 1945 and who battles the stigma associated with the survivors, known in Japan as Hibakusha.

Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2025
Andrew Lincoln's Mark comes to the door and without saying a single word, confesses his love for her through a series of cue cards.

Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 13 Jan. 2025