Definition of ferventnext
1
2

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of fervent are ardent, fervid, impassioned, passionate, and perfervid. While all these words mean "showing intense feeling," fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

When might ardent be a better fit than fervent?

While in some cases nearly identical to fervent, ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

Where would fervid be a reasonable alternative to fervent?

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

fervid love letters

When is impassioned a more appropriate choice than fervent?

The meanings of impassioned and fervent largely overlap; however, impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

When could passionate be used to replace fervent?

The words passionate and fervent can be used in similar contexts, but passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

When would perfervid be a good substitute for fervent?

Although the words perfervid and fervent have much in common, 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 fervent In almost every neighborhood of the city, you’re bound to bump into vendors who have set up shop near parks, subway stations, and bars looking to meet the fervent demand for soccer kits, Styles swag and Knicks gear. — Matt Martell, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026 Neighboring Iran and Pakistan are forcibly returning Afghans, and further afield in Europe, fervent anti-immigration rhetoric makes the situation very challenging. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026 Neither Shaggy nor Kartel has made any new comments, but all eyes are on the two superstars as the debate rages on in their comment sections, with their fervent fan bases warring on their behalf. — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 28 Sep. 2026 The performance likely to have the most fervent admirers in Creed-Miles’ as Marianne, the reckless romantic who lets her heart lead her, with devastating results. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fervent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fervent
Adjective
  • The colors are dour and muted, and the yearnings of the two elder Dashwood sisters—the self-abnegating Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and the passionate Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles, a gimlet-eyed standout)—often play out in drearily candlelit rooms.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Bulgari staff is notably passionate about this garden and volunteers there on a regular basis.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • The song is a dreamy barn-raiser, hoisting this premise on warm guitar tones and a plaintive tone that proves a through-line throughout the record.
    — Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • After another warm weekend, with widespread high temperatures in the 80s, California is set for a real cooldown this week.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • What followed was a horrific night of physical and mental spousal abuse, which Adams describes in searing, emotional prose.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Artificial, which arrives in theaters on Christmas, may be the most searing of the lot.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
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
  • Then, of course, there’s the sandwich that started it all — the Sublime, with prosciutto, hot soppressata, burrata, fresh walnut pesto, spicy garlic aioli, sundried tomatoes and arugula.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Neither is the league’s hottest player, the record five-time MVP A’Ja Wilson, whose defending champion Las Vegas were swept in the semifinals by Golden State.
    — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • One fascination of this brave book—brave in its disclosures but more so in its demands, its spiritual rigor, and its ardent intellectualism—lies in watching the eloquent, intelligent sufferer steadily entrapping herself.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Turns out Ferrari’s ardent fan base is curiously conservative.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
  • In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fervent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fervent. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster