passionate

adjective

pas·​sion·​ate ˈpa-sh(ə-)nət 

1

a

: easily aroused to anger

a passionate but not a vicious boy

—H. E. Scudder

b

: filled with anger : angry

was passionate in her defense of her cub, and rage transformed her

—G. D. Brown

2

a

: capable of, affected by, or expressing intense feeling

a passionate performance

a passionate coach

b

: enthusiastic, ardent

is passionate about basketball

3

: swayed by or affected with sexual desire

a passionate love affair

passionateness noun

Synonyms

• concupiscent
• goatish
• horny
• hot
• hypersexual
• itchy
• lascivious
• lecherous
• lewd
• libidinous
• licentious
• lubricious
• lubricous
• lustful
• oversexed
• randy
• salacious
• satyric
• wanton

Choose the Right Synonym for passionate

impassioned, passionate, ardent, fervent, fervid, perfervid mean showing intense feeling.

impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

perfervid implies the expression of exaggerated or overwrought feelings.

perfervid expressions of patriotism

Examples of passionate in a Sentence

He gave a passionate speech on tax reform.

She has a passionate interest in animal rights.

She is passionate about art.

We were moved by his passionate plea for forgiveness.

Recent Examples on the Web

Vik is passionate about public service and accountability journalism. —Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024

But if this farmer seemed passionate about his chickens, he is also drained by harsh realities. —Roger Cohen Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024

There are few movie kisses as romantic as the upside-down make-out from Spider-Man (2002), but Kirsten Dunst says the reality was far less passionate. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 30 Mar. 2024

Those are quality football brands with large alumni bases and passionate followings. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024

Founder of America's Kids Belong, Brian Mavis is passionate about dramatically improving experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care. —Brian Mavis, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Unlike some establishments that prioritize quantity over quality, top-tier Turkish clinics have earned awards for their unwavering commitment and are passionate about delivering exceptional results while upholding the highest standards. —Chris Gallagher, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024

Meier, the winningest coach in UM history (men’s and women’s) and one of the most passionate in any sport, won 362 games during her tenure. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2024

But Reddit already had thousands of unpaid moderators who were often experts in their forums’ subjects and were passionate about keeping their communities clean and safe. —Kevin Roose, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

passionate

adjective

pas·​sion·​ate ˈpash-(ə-)nət 

1

: excited or easily excited to strong feeling

2

: showing or expressing strong feeling

3

: strongly affected with sexual desire

passionately adverb