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

Outdoor enthusiasts along the iconic trail aren’t the only ones suffering. —NBC news, 29 May 2026

Clark Shotwell plays the airplane enthusiast who gets a taste of first class – and chicken cordon bleu – flying with his actress mom to Hollywood in a throwback fable from a kid's perspective. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 May 2026

While some automotive enthusiasts still cringe at the mention of a continuously variable transmission, Subaru’s execution here is among the better examples in the industry. —Tim Jackson, Denver Post, 29 May 2026

Today’s outdoor culinary enthusiast has many finer options than my dad’s generation—methods and equipment to suit their theatricality, flavor preferences, competitive spirit, and moods of all manners. —Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 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

• chloroplast
• epiblast
• fibroblast
• opencast
• overcast
• protoplast
• rebroadcast
• telecast
• trophoblast
• ultrafast
• unsurpassed
• aghast

Kids Definition

enthusiast

noun

en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈth(y)ü-zē-ˌast 

-əst

: a person filled with enthusiasm