Choose the Right Synonym for ardor

passion, fervor, ardor, enthusiasm, zeal mean intense emotion compelling action. passion applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable. was a slave to his passions fervor implies a warm and steady emotion. read the poem aloud with great fervor ardor suggests warm and excited feeling likely to be fitful or short-lived. the ardor of their honeymoon soon faded enthusiasm applies to lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity. never showed much enthusiasm for sports zeal implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause. preaches with fanatical zeal

Examples of ardor in a Sentence

the sudden ardors of youth candidates for citizenship reciting the oath of allegiance to the United States with all the ardor that they could muster

Recent Examples on the Web The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who spent her disco-dancing teenage years in Montreal, has renewed the ardor between the two allies, while vaccination has created cautious optimism about taming the pandemic. — Dan Bilefsky, Star Tribune, "Canada misses American tourist money, but sees some upside," 14 Feb. 2021 Florida does not have a governor, but pestilence does, and in this respect DeSantis has served his only non-Trump constituency with an ardor unparalleled in his career. — Jeb Lund, The New Republic, "Ron DeSantis Is TNR’s 2020 Scoundrel of the Year," 29 Dec. 2020 And behind the heroine’s stony visage lurks ardor that’s unfulfilled until another woman comes into her life. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Ammonite’ Review: Opening Up a Closed Heart," 3 Dec. 2020 But her real ardor is for digging up large rocks and, with exquisite care and expertise, exposing the beautiful relics within. — Justin Chang Film Critic, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Kate Winslet gives her best performance in years in the striking, passionate ‘Ammonite’," 12 Nov. 2020 The film’s sense of form is as thrilling and hectic as the revolutionary ardor that motivates it. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "Sixty-two Films That Shaped the Art of Documentary Filmmaking," 14 Oct. 2020 Gomyo dashed off virtuoso skitters, double-stops and high harmonics with panache, supplying unforced ardor elsewhere. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, "Engaging Bernstein, earthbound Mozart from Fort Worth Symphony and guest conductor Brett Mitchell," 31 Oct. 2020 The move failed to cool the couple’s ardor and Pfeiffer routinely returns to the Executive Mansion to pick up Kennedy-Cuomo for dates, further upsetting the governor, a source said. — Fox News, "State trooper dates Cuomo’s daughter, gets transferred close to Canada," 29 Oct. 2020 Neither approach has lessened the ardor or number of protesters, who adroitly use social media to organize short, quickly announced events that don’t require the infrastructure of past demonstrations. — Grant Peck And Chris Blake, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why this year's Thai protests are the most ambitious yet," 28 Oct. 2020

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

History and Etymology for ardor

Middle English ardour, borrowed from Anglo-French ardur, ardour "burning, fever, passion," borrowed from Latin ardōr-, ardor "burning, flash of light, extreme heat, mental excitement, eagerness, passion," from ardēre "to burn, be fiercely hot, be violently excited, be eager" + -ōr-, -or (earlier *-ōs-, *-ōs), abstract noun suffix ardent

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