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 of enthusiast

• lover
• fan
• sucker
• fanatic

Examples of enthusiast in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Blackburn is trying to take advantage of this moment, converting the growing number of tennis enthusiasts into customers. —Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026

Food enthusiasts know this cake is more than just a sweet treat. —Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026

Sports enthusiasts won’t want to miss the 49ers Museum, located inside Levi’s Stadium itself. —Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 9 Mar. 2026

But savvy outdoor enthusiasts know there’s a series of equally impressive rock formations—with the same name, no less—tucked away in the Midwest. —Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for enthusiast

• iconoclast
• osteoblast
• osteoclast
• aghast
• amassed
• biassed
• broadcast
• bypassed
• downcast
• forecast
• foremast
• harassed

Kids Definition

enthusiast

noun

en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈth(y)ü-zē-ˌast 

-əst

: a person filled with enthusiasm