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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 Indeed, the occupation undermined loyalty to Great Britain even among its most ardent supporters. Time, 9 Oct. 2025 Just as the most vocal skeptics of the SCORE Act within college sports decided to pledge their support for the bill, another is being introduced by one of the most ardent critics of the potential legislation that has been making its way through the House of Representatives. Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 But the ardent annual cookie pushers have a new challenger. Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025 Sklenar recently spoke to THR about his ardent desire to play the next Dark Knight. Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ardent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ardent
Adjective
  • By platforming industry experts and passionate entrepreneurs, Ducard is helping Pinterest expand into new arenas.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Boosting Confidence in Feeding Choices As someone who loves being a mom, Cardi B is equally passionate about advocating for other mothers, especially those who are new to the gig.
    Sarah Scott, Parents, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The landowner, who happened to be an avid collector of Native American artifacts, retrieved the skull and promptly reported the find to Chief Deputy Dan Becker on June 2, 2025.
    Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
  • In the house, they’re represented as starry lights, a firefly painting (Windham was an avid painter), and a full-size Firefly scareactor.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 16 Oct. 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
  • Bompastor’s lack of reaction was telling — as referee Michalina Diakow pointed to the spot, the head coach barely looked up from her fervent conversation with Erin Cuthbert on the touchline.
    Cerys Jones, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In monetizing each listen, Spotify gave artists distinct incentives to cultivate fervent fan loyalty.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Listen to him bum-rush a workers’ union meeting and begin describing, with over-enthusiastic earnestness, how dogs get a raw deal.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Now, a couple of posts can result in an influx of enthusiastic participants for rookie organizers who lack the structure to host them.
    Cate Charron, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Written by Mahdi Asghari Azghadi and directed by Puya Mofid, this searing Iranian drama unfolds within the confines of an elementary school, where a teacher’s harsh discipline leaves a young Black student traumatized and voiceless.
    Essie Assibu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
  • High-temperature cooking methods such as grilling, broiling, roasting, frying and searing can increase AGE content in food up to 100-fold compared to uncooked versions, according to a 2004 Mount Sinai study that measured AGE content under laboratory conditions.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 17 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
  • Both backs seemed excited about employing more pony looks.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • He could also be seen nodding his approval after the dance — and earning a thunderous round of excited shouts from the audience.
    Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ardent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ardent. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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