Definition of ARDENT

Choose the Right Synonym for ardent

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 ardent in a Sentence

These ardent young nationalists, mostly still in their 20s and impatient for freedom, had acquired arms from sympathetic nationalist officers in the Indian army … — Gita Mehta, Vogue, April 1997 In fact, Gorbachev told me, a schoolboy essay he'd written on the virtues of Stalin was considered so ardent and exemplary that "for years thereafter other children were made to read it." — David Remnick, New Yorker, 18 Nov. 1996 During the fourth century, pagan piety in the upper classes became more elevated, more ardent, and more mystical. — Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993 made ardent declarations of love to the woman he someday hoped to marry an ardent science-fiction fan who has read virtually all of his favorite author's many works

Recent Examples on the Web

Even the church’s most ardent defenders might embrace government intervention if the public loses patience with the pace of reform. — Mene Ukueberuwa, WSJ, "The Catholic Bishops Who Couldn’t," 15 Nov. 2018 While both are ardent defenders of President Donald Trump, McCarthy, as the number two House Republican is the natural successor to Ryan. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "The fight to lead House Republicans now that they’re in the minority, explained," 8 Nov. 2018 An ardent defender of the defense budget, Russell also was author of the School Lunch Act, which provides free and low-cost meals in public schools. — Matthew Daly, The Seattle Times, "Support builds for plan to rename Senate building for McCain," 27 Aug. 2018 In Sam Chanse's 2017 one-act, romantic partners and ardent social critics Mel and Arjun attempt to escape the world—at least for one night—in Joshua Tree National Park. — Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader, "Too many metaphors spoil the drama in Opportunities of Extinction," 15 June 2018 The universe has a way of surprising even its most ardent observers. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Move Over, Farout: FarFarOut Has Been Discovered," 25 Feb. 2019 For all but the most ardent activists, resistance has come to feel futile. — Paolo Bosonin, WSJ, "Hopeless in Hong Kong: China’s Squeeze Triggers Talk of a New Exodus," 26 Dec. 2018 Fans have marveled at the fact that the man who took on Bush is now one of Trump’s most ardent fans. — Nadra Nittle, Vox, "How Kanye West’s brand survives his controversies, explained by a crisis PR expert," 3 Oct. 2018 By Robert Zaretsky Harvard, 258 pages, $27.95 A voracious reader on virtually any subject, Diderot was an intrepid thinker and tireless writer, a doting father, a warmhearted friend, an ardent conversationalist. — Dan Hofstadter, WSJ, "‘Diderot’ Review: Wherever His Mind Led Him," 15 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ardent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.