enthusiast

noun

en·thu·si·ast in-ˈthü-zē-ˌast

-əst,

en-,

also -ˈthyü-

Synonyms of enthusiast next

: a person filled with enthusiasm: such as

: one who is ardently attached to a cause, object, or pursuit

a sports car enthusiast

: one who tends to become ardently absorbed in an interest

Example Sentences

skiing enthusiasts can't wait for the first snowfall of the season

Recent Examples on the Web Wild Mouse stopped abruptly Thursday amid a preview for roller coaster enthusiasts and the media at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park. —

Craig Webb, USA TODAY, 5 May 2023 Throughout the first season, the group of friends began as just mere car enthusiasts and slowly turned into a legitimate car club. —

Charna Flam, Variety, 28 Apr. 2023 Chocolate Festival at French Embassy Chocolate makers and enthusiasts alike are welcome to join in the festivities at the sixth D.C. Chocolate Festival. —

Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023 What a time for the industry and enthusiasts—the future looks so bright! —

Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 21 Apr. 2023 Fortunately for bike enthusiasts, a sizable number of cities and towns offer biking paths for their residents. —

Roger Sands, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023 Michael Inouye, an analyst at ABI Research, said some consumers may still not have access to reliable or fast enough broadband connections, or simply prefer physical media to digital, much in the way that some audio enthusiasts still purchase and collect CDs and records. —

Samantha Kelly, CNN, 20 Apr. 2023 Primed for golf enthusiasts, the development will include the first Jack Nicklaus Heritage golf course by Nicklaus Design, as well as a 10-hole short course designed by Tiger Woods. —

Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2023 Skyline enthusiasts rejoiced at the news, while Gold Star fans mourned the end of an era. —

Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 19 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enthusiast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "person claiming to receive divine communication or inspiration, member of a putative early Christian sect making such claims," borrowed from Late Greek enthousiastḗs, going back to Greek, "person possessed by a god," from enthousiad-, stem of enthousiázein "to be inspired or possessed by a god" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at enthusiasm

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of enthusiast was in 1748

See more words from the same year