ardent

adjective ar·dent \ ˈär-dᵊnt \

Definition of ardent

1 : characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity

ardent proponents of the bill

an ardent admirer

ardent fans

2 : fiery, hot

an ardent sun

3 : shining, glowing

ardent eyes

—

ardently

adverb

See ardent defined for English-language learners

See ardent defined for kids

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 of ardent from the Web

Even the most ardent Sean McVay supporter could not have presaged how immediate or how dramatic the Rams offensive turnaround would be.

— michael beller, SI.com, "Fantasy Football Week 5: Rams Have Morphed Into a Possible Offensive Juggernaut," 5 Oct. 2017
From there, Arthur surprised even the most ardent critics of his political-patronage past by taking up the cause of political reform, making lauded changes in the civil service system and the Navy.

— allan schwartz, Philly.com, "Medical Mystery: The once-robust president who dwindled dramatically," 22 Sep. 2017
Some online commentators couldn’t resist pointing out the irony of Syria having to defeat Iran — one of Assad’s top battlefield allies against the rebels — to play in a World Cup set in Russia, his most ardent international supporter.

— nabih bulos, latimes.com, "Can Syrians support their national soccer team without taking sides in the country's civil war?," 8 Sep. 2017
Now, some prominent Republicans are signaling, at the very least, a certain weariness with the most ardent Second Amendment fanboys who would view restrictions on bump stocks as unacceptable infringements on their rights.

— jay willis, GQ, "Where Republicans and Democrats Are Finding Common Ground on Gun Safety," 5 Oct. 2017
Sanchez is out of contract in the summer, though Arsenal will be looking to cash in on him during the January transfer window, if the fee is enough to sway an ardent Arsene Wenger.

— SI.com, "Bayern President Reveals That He Has Pulled His Side Out of the Race to Sign Arsenal Superstar," 5 Nov. 2017
The truth is that Lee and his fellow slaveholders were ardent nationalists in the decades leading up to the Civil War, as the Princeton historian Matthew Karp described in his recent book This Vast Southern Empire.

— caleb mcdaniel, The Atlantic, "The South Only Embraced States' Rights as It Lost Control of the Federal Government," 1 Nov. 2017
Flake also brings the number of ardent Trump-defying Republicans to three in the US Senate, a magic number that is enough to block even simple majority votes in the Senate, where Republicans have 52 members.

— lauren fox, CNN, "How three GOP senators will affect Trump's legislative legacy," 25 Oct. 2017
Indeed, many ardent Brexiteers cut their teeth causing trouble then.

— The Economist, "Theresa May’s weakness at home is slowing down the Brexit talks," 11 Oct. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of ardent

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin ardent-, ardens, present participle of ardēre to burn, from ardor

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

ardent Synonyms

Phrases

champing at the bit, chomping at the bit;

Synonym Discussion of ardent

impassioned, passionate, ardent, fervent, fervid, perfervid mean showing intense feeling. impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.