avid

adjective

av·​id ˈa-vəd How to pronounce avid (audio)
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
avidly adverb
avidness noun

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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).

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This particular selection of 31 drawings survived thanks to one avid collector: Larry Warsh, who first spotted Haring’s work on the New York subway in the 1980s. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024 The acquisition made by one avid collector attending an estate sale in the Hudson Valley earlier this month falls into the third category, with a dash of morbidity thrown in for good measure. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024 The red bandana on her daughter's head, Angela said, was meant to pass the love forward, as a gift for her mother, the avid Willie fan who passed on the admiration to two more generations. Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American-Statesman, 25 Nov. 2024 There’s no better shop to look for presents for the avid readers in your life than at Faulkner House Books, which is tucked along a quiet alleyway around the corner from St. Louis Cathedral. Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for avid 

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French avide, from Latin avidus, from avēre to desire, crave; akin to Welsh ewyllys desire, Old Irish con-oí he protects

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of avid was in 1769

Dictionary Entries Near avid

Cite this Entry

“Avid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avid. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

avid

adjective
av·​id ˈav-əd How to pronounce avid (audio)
1
: having so much desire for something as to be greedy
avid for attention
2
: very eager : enthusiastic
an avid football fan
avidity
ə-ˈvid-ət-ē
a-
noun
avidly
ˈav-əd-lē
adverb
avidness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on avid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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