enthusiast

noun

en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈthü-zē-ˌast 

-əst,

en-,

 also  -ˈthyü-

: a person filled with enthusiasm: such as

a

: one who is ardently attached to a cause, object, or pursuit

a sports car enthusiast

b

: one who tends to become ardently absorbed in an interest

Synonyms

• lover
• fan
• sucker
• fanatic

Examples of enthusiast in a Sentence

skiing enthusiasts can't wait for the first snowfall of the season

Recent Examples on the Web

The accessibility of online sportsbooks has capitalized on Gen Z’s love of gambling, with enthusiasts defending the practice as a form of investment. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025

But unlike most metalheads who mellow with age, the woman likely to be Japan’s next prime minister is still an enthusiast. —Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025

When football was introduced in the early 1890s, beer enthusiasts instantly took to the sport and straddled the Mississippi River like a roulette wheel, only with one side wearing red and the other black and gold. —Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

From the haunting call of the Indian paradise flycatcher to the flash of a Malabar pied hornbill's wings, the park is alive with exciting birds — a paradise for veteran birdwatchers and nascent enthusiasts alike. —Marion Miller, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "person claiming to receive divine communication or inspiration, member of a putative early Christian sect making such claims," borrowed from Late Greek enthousiastḗs, going back to Greek, "person possessed by a god," from enthousiad-, stem of enthousiázein "to be inspired or possessed by a god" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at enthusiasm

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for enthusiast

• iconoclast
• osteoblast
• osteoclast
• aghast
• amassed
• biassed
• broadcast
• bypassed
• downcast
• forecast
• foremast
• harassed

Kids Definition

enthusiast

noun

en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈth(y)ü-zē-ˌast 

-əst

: a person filled with enthusiasm