avidity

noun

avid·​i·​ty ə-ˈvi-də-tē How to pronounce avidity (audio)
a-
plural avidities
1
: the quality or state of being avid:
a
: keen eagerness
b
: consuming greed
2

Examples of avidity in a Sentence

an advanced case of avidity that led to shoplifting at the tender age of 13 in her avidity to express her opinions, she frequently and unthinkingly interrupts people
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.
Voltaire’s avidity was, instead, part of the performance of his role as Top French Thinker—a position that might be unofficial but is as sharply defined as the papacy and has been handed on from one intellectual to the next over the centuries. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 Her avidity added some dimension to Gold’s vision of a world in which justice is meted out to those who speak most eloquently and power redounds to those who are already powerful. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 The sheer avidity and gusto of Genevieve Simon’s all-out performance as Rosalind sets the tone for this winningly buoyant production of Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023 This is influenced by a number of factors, including but not limited to the stability of the virus in the air, the avidity of the virus Spike protein to the host cell, the efficiency and concentration to which the virus replicates, and how days a person is contagious. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2021 See all Example Sentences for avidity 

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of avidity was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near avidity

Cite this Entry

“Avidity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avidity. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

avidity

noun
: a characteristic of antibodies (such as antitoxins) that tends to enhance their rate or stability in binding with an antigen
Antibody avidity is an average measure of the affinity of the antibodies for a particular antigen in a serum sample.Dominic F. Kelly, The New England Journal of Medicine

More from Merriam-Webster on avidity

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