avid

adjective

av·id | \ˈa-vəd

Definition of avid

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

Other Words from avid Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Finer Points of Avid More Example Sentences Learn More about avid

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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

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).

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

Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia University’s law school, is Brandeis’s most avid contemporary disciple. — Richard A. Epstein, WSJ, "‘The Curse of Bigness’ Review: Revisiting the Gilded Age," 2 Dec. 2018 Fox News, of which Trump is an avid viewer and which often propagates his message, followed suit. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Fox News wants you to be very afraid of what’s happening at the border," 26 Nov. 2018 Cunningham, who was last seen leaving work early on Feb. 12, was an avid crystal collector. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Missing CDC employee's body found in river weeks after disappearance, police say," 2 Oct. 2018 Belden, an avid cyclist himself, described his work at a meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics in Atlanta, Georgia. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "What we can learn about crowd behavior by watching the Tour de France," 19 Nov. 2018 The Converse x Chiara collection features seven pairs of sneakers that are sure to satisfy even the most avid of glitter enthusiasts. — Tess Garcia, Teen Vogue, "Converse and Chiara Ferragni Collaborate on Glittery Sneaker Collection," 11 Nov. 2018 What this means to you: This is certainly a welcome change for all avid web surfers. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Google's Chrome 71 will block 'abusive' ads that trick you into clicking them," 6 Nov. 2018 Kate Middleton, an avid photographer, often uses the account to share portraits she's taken of her kids. — Isabel Greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Made Her Return to Social Media in a Sneaky Way," 29 Oct. 2018 China’s avid pursuit of artificial intelligence worries Western experts but is likely to be employed mainly in destroying the creativity and initiative of its own people. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Let’s Vote on a China Cold War," 23 Oct. 2018

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