avid

adjective

av·​id ˈa-vəd 

1

: characterized by enthusiasm and vigorous pursuit : very eager and enthusiastic

avid readers/fans

an avid golfer

2

: desirous to the point of greed : urgently eager : greedy

avid for publicity/success

avidly adverb

avidness noun

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The Finer Points of Avid

The original and now relatively unfamiliar sense of avid, “desirous to the point of greed,” developed logically from its root in Latin, avēre (meaning “to long for”). It appears in such phrases as “avid of fame” and “avid for details,” expressions we are more likely to encounter in formal writing than in speech. More common today is the word’s somewhat weakened and ameliorated (that is, “made better,” or given a more positive connotation) meaning “extremely enthusiastic.” This is the sense regularly used of people who have embraced some hobby or pursuit (such as avid readers, gardeners, or knitters).

Synonyms of avid

• greedy
• eager
• mercenary
• avaricious
• acquisitive

Choose the Right Synonym for avid

eager, avid, keen, anxious, athirst mean moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest.

eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint.

eager to get started

avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed.

avid for new thrills

keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action.

keen on the latest fashions

anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment.

anxious not to make a social blunder

athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action.

athirst for adventure

Examples of avid in a Sentence

He is an avid admirer of horror movies.

They took an avid interest in politics.

some of the newspaper's most avid readers

Recent Examples on the Web

And the audience for those games skews young, with more than half of all avid soccer viewers aged 18-to-34, a demographic highly sought by advertisers and one that suggests NBC’s numbers could stay strong for years. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Pretti was an avid mountain biker, and the two had been planning to go biking together once the weather turned warm. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Self, who is an avid golfer, has played many rounds with Woodland in the past. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026

Bird Watching The Channel Islands are also home to 387 land and sea bird species, a treat for any avid birder. — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French avide, from Latin avidus, from avēre to desire, crave; akin to Welsh ewyllys desire, Old Irish con-oí he protects

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for avid

• gravid

Kids Definition

avid

adjective

av·​id ˈav-əd 

1

: having so much desire for something as to be greedy

avid for attention

2

: very eager : enthusiastic

an avid football fan

avidity

ə-ˈvid-ət-ē, 

a-

noun

avidly

ˈav-əd-lē

adverb

avidness noun