enthusiasm

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noun en·thu·si·asm \ in-ˈthü-zē-ˌa-zəm , en- also -ˈthyü- \

Definition of enthusiasm

1 a :belief in special revelations of the Holy Spirit

b :religious fanaticism

2 a :strong excitement of feeling :ardor

did her work with energy and enthusiasm

b :something inspiring zeal or fervor

his enthusiasms include sailing and fishing

See enthusiasm defined for English-language learners

See enthusiasm defined for kids

Examples of enthusiasm in a Sentence

Hour by hour, minute by minute, Guerrero is a racehorse, sitting upright in a chair, revising copy, clarifying names and places, sprinkling the reports with jokes while a producer talks in her ear—then delivering with breakneck speed and unflagging enthusiasm. —Joel Drucker, Cigar Aficionado, May/June 2003
The Gower has a bewitching effect on my children. Perhaps it is because of having been cooped up in the car for four hours, but once we are negotiating the windy road along this southern Welsh peninsula, they are all gushing with enthusiasm. —Emma Haughton, Times (London), 12 Aug. 2000
Now that he was awake, he couldn't understand how he could have slept through the racket the birds were making. "Oliver," Harry croaked. "It's the crack of dawn." "Exactly," said Wood. He was a tall and burly sixth year and, at the moment, his eyes were gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. Come on, grab your broom, and let's go," said Wood heartily. —J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999
These days, even the wiliest brand-builders are at least a little anxious about the emerging teenage market, with its stylistic balkanization, shifting folkways and unpredictably spiking enthusiasms. —Hal Espen, New York Times Magazine, 21 Mar. 1999
The party supported its candidate with enthusiasm.
He seems to lack enthusiasm for the work he's doing.
Among his latest enthusiasms are sailing and fishing.

Recent Examples of enthusiasm from the Web

The packed crowd ate it up — the raucous enthusiasm an early sign of the overwhelming support among Trump’s base that would help carry him to the presidency.

— Washington Post, "Trump returns to Arizona — and a chaotic political landscape," 21 Aug. 2017
But even more important than getting kids to look up at the stellar event, the AWB hopes the eclipse enthusiasm will help inspire more students to pursue fields in science, technology and mathematics.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "What Should You Do With Your Used Eclipse Glasses?," 21 Aug. 2017
Germans celebrate their famous brews, their beer-drinking and their powerful brewing industry with a near-patriotic enthusiasm.

— erik kirschbaum, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "California beer maker has the last laugh in his German brewery," 15 Aug. 2017
Isaacson also describes how Leonardo’s lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "Leo Meets His Ultimate Casting Match in a Leonardo Da Vinci Biopic," 14 Aug. 2017
Some of the world’s top auto-parts suppliers aren’t buying all the enthusiasm about the electric vehicles hyped by Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk and larger carmakers trying to keep up.

— gabrielle coppola, Bloomberg.com, "Musk's Electric-Car Vision Doubted by Major Parts Suppliers," 11 Aug. 2017
Within a few years, though, enthusiasm for them had fizzled out.

— The Economist, "Education technologyTogether, technology and teachers can revamp schools," 22 July 2017
But there are indications that Democratic voter enthusiasm is lagging.

— mike debonis, Washington Post, "House Democrats are starting to outraise their Republican counterparts," 20 July 2017
Donald Trump’s call for his party to go ahead and repeal Obamacare anyway was met with little enthusiasm.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 20 July 2017

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

What is the history of enthusiasm?

It may come as a surprise to many people, when they first look up the word enthusiasm, to see that its original meaning has to do with passion for religion, rather than passionate or eager interest in general. A brief explanation of the word’s etymology should clear this up. Enthusiasm entered the English language around the beginning of the 17th century. It was borrowed from the Greek enthousiasmos, meaning “inspiration or possession by a god.” For the first two hundred or so years that it was used in English, enthusiasm was primarily employed to refer to beliefs or passions that related to religion. By the beginning of the 18th century, however, the word began to be used to describe having strong feelings or interest in secular matters.

Origin and Etymology of enthusiasm

Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein to be inspired, irregular from entheos inspired, from en- + theos god

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1603

See Words from the same year

enthusiasm Synonyms

Synonyms

buzz, chic, craze, dernier cri, fad, fashion, flavor, go, hot ticket, last word, latest, mode, rage, sensation, style, ton, trend, vogue

Antonyms

apathy, indifference

Related Words

nine days' wonder (also nine day wonder); new wave; crush, infatuation; fervor, passion; furor, fuss, hullabaloo, to-do, uproar; bandwagon, crusade, cult, movement; novelty, wrinkle; caprice, fancy, whim

Near Antonyms

classic, standard

Synonym Discussion of enthusiasm

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

ENTHUSIASM Defined for English Language Learners

enthusiasm

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noun

Definition of enthusiasm for English Language Learners

: strong excitement about something : a strong feeling of active interest in something that you like or enjoy
: something causing a feeling of excitement and active interest : a hobby that someone feels enthusiastic about