1
2
3

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 That’s because the date’s numerals combine to form a rare numerical trick that even the most ardent math hater will appreciate. Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 25 Sep. 2025 Princess Charlene herself is an ardent admirer of Louis Vuitton’s designs. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025 Jimmy Kimmel’s fellow late-night hosts have, unsurprisingly, been among his most ardent defenders. Judy Berman, Time, 19 Sep. 2025 Our chat with Nate Morris deserved a headline of its own — Kirk attended Morris' campaign kickoff three months ago in Shepherdsville and was an ardent supporter of the candidate. Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ardent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ardent
Adjective
  • As his star has risen, the performer born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has become the most passionate and effective ambassador in Puerto Rican history.
    Leila Cobo, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Stay open to rapid communication, travel opportunities, or passionate connections.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Ken is among the most avid ruffed grouse hunters in the state.
    Worth Matthewson, Outdoor Life, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Amongst them is a championship poker player, a former COVID crisis nurse, a single father, and a couple of avid concertgoers.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 2 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
  • Acclaimed Spanish auteur Carla Simón’s return to the fervent ground of her childhood is a deeply personal meditation on memory, identity and familial myth making.
    Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Franco is well aware of the fervent fan casting.
    Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Nash-Taylor congratulated her stepdaughter on a beautiful wedding in an enthusiastic tribute to the couple's special day.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
  • When enthusiastic punters entered the online maze to reach the front of the queue, what would the damage actually be?
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • His own divorce from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh informed his Oscar-winning Marriage Story (2019), a searing look at love unraveling.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
  • And McConaughey, as a nervy reluctant hero, steers the searing, intense narrative about normal people living through the most hellish of circumstances.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 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
  • The underground pop of the 2010s used to get so excited about being online, using shrinky-dink artifice to delight in poking fun at a culture that could feel shallow and strange but also organic and endlessly renewable.
    Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Last year at this time, fans were excited that the 2025 Grammys looked to be a real horse race, with super-divas Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan all destined to compete in the top categories.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ardent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ardent. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on ardent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!