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Synonym Chooser

How is the word ardent different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of ardent are fervent, fervid, impassioned, passionate, and perfervid. While all these words mean "showing intense feeling," ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

When is fervent a more appropriate choice than ardent?

The words fervent and ardent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

When is it sensible to use fervid instead of ardent?

While the synonyms fervid and ardent are close in meaning, fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

When can impassioned be used instead of ardent?

While in some cases nearly identical to ardent, impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

When could passionate be used to replace ardent?

In some situations, the words passionate and ardent are roughly equivalent. However, passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

When might perfervid be a better fit than ardent?

The meanings of perfervid and ardent largely overlap; however, perfervid implies the expression of exaggerated or overwrought feelings.

perfervid expressions of patriotism

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ardent In addition to gaining glowing reviews (100 on Rotten Tomatoes, 87 on MetaCritic) and ardent admirers, Joseph’s feature debut won the FIPRESCI Award at Viennale 2025 and shared the Bruce Sinofsky Award in the Documentary Feature Competition at the Montclair Film Festival. Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025 And while the Walkman and Discman allowed for on-the-go privacy, even their most ardent defenders would admit that these devices were clunky compromises. Jonathan Garrett, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025 Trump met Milei at the White House two weeks ago, and the Argentine has emerged as one of the US leader’s most ardent supporters abroad. Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025 The red carpet and awards ceremony celebrates footwear’s influential style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. Katie Abel, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ardent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ardent
Adjective
  • With more than 33 billion plays and one of the most passionate fanbases on the Roblox platform, Grow a Garden is a game where players cultivate thriving gardens, trade crops, decorate worlds, and collaborate in seasonal events.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Both are impeccably made and performed and will have passionate supporters.
    Jenelle Riley, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • An avid pool-player, Rogan has interviewed Gorst on his show twice, including this summer.
    Jeremy Herb, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Spooky season has come and gone, which means its time for some avid readers to begin making their winter reading lists.
    Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.
    Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • One idea is that about a million years after the Big Bang, the universe cooled and underwent a phase transition, an event similar to how boiling water turns liquid into gas.
    Yasemin Saplakoglu, Scientific American, 3 Mar. 2020
Adjective
  • The instrumentals are as intricate and lush as her fervent vocal runs, which rise and collapse within seconds.
    Thania Garcia, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
  • In Shawnee, a slate of Democratic-leaning candidates bested their conservative rivals, fueled by fervent voter support for tax rebate programs and infrastructure projects.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Obama’s enthusiastic showings for both candidates was a test of whether his sway over the Democratic Party still remains after his support for Harris failed to boost her to the White House a year ago and angered black male voters who felt unfairly accused of sexism.
    Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Thornton did not respond to our request for comment on this story, but IndieWire found proof of public interactions Bolea had with the actor, positioning them as enthusiastic supporters of each other’s work at a time when love for Art the Clown was spreading quickly.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The searing drama follows the titular socialite (Tessa Thompson) over the course of one opulent, suffocating party.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Emergency responders worked around the clock to locate survivors, enduring searing heat and toxic fumes.
    Josh Green, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • At Fox, Collier became known for his passional embrace of blockchain, NFTs and the whole Web3 space.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Nov. 2022
Adjective
  • No pretending to be too cool to be excited, just vibing and living in the moment.
    Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Now Lomax is excited for future opportunities to work with other brands.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ardent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ardent. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on ardent

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