enthusiast

noun

en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈthü-zē-ˌast 

-əst,

en-,

 also  -ˈthyü-

: a person filled with enthusiasm: such as

a

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

a sports car enthusiast

b

: one who tends to become ardently absorbed in an interest

Synonyms

• addict
• aficionado
• afficionado
• buff
• bug
• devotee
• fan
• fanatic
• fancier
• fiend
• fool
• freak
• habitué
• habitue
• head
• hound
• junkie
• junky
• lover
• maniac
• maven
• mavin
• nut
• sucker

Examples of enthusiast in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The club’s official grand opening in April will kick off with the Smith Heritage Invitational, a world-class automotive contest that will undoubtedly draw car collectors, enthusiasts, and racing fans alike. —London Clark, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2024

This technology is reshaping industries and changing the game, offering endless growth opportunities to business leaders, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts. —Bharath Kumar Kakkireni, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

These products are for fashion enthusiasts [and] people who aren’t fashion enthusiasts. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 15 Oct. 2024

But only the Tesla bloggers and enthusiasts, who took test rides at the special event that evening and who raved about the Cybercab on X and YouTube, seemed to be impressed. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

enthusiast

noun

en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈth(y)ü-zē-ˌast 

-əst

: a person filled with enthusiasm