impassioned 1 of 2

Definition of impassionednext

impassioned

2 of 2

verb

past tense of impassion

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of impassioned are ardent, fervent, fervid, passionate, and perfervid. While all these words mean "showing intense feeling," impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

When might ardent be a better fit than impassioned?

The synonyms ardent and impassioned are sometimes interchangeable, but ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

When can fervent be used instead of impassioned?

While the synonyms fervent and impassioned are close in meaning, fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

When is fervid a more appropriate choice than impassioned?

In some situations, the words fervid and impassioned are roughly equivalent. However, fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

In what contexts can passionate take the place of impassioned?

The meanings of passionate and impassioned largely overlap; however, passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

Where would perfervid be a reasonable alternative to impassioned?

Although the words perfervid and impassioned 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 impassioned
Adjective
Jimmy remains the center of The Man I Love, of course, and Malek’s mercurial and impassioned turn is unlike any in his career to date. David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026 Great big swaths of the audience are singing every song, every lyric, with maximum commitment and a kind of avid purity, one that extends to impassioned hand gestures and — of course — an ongoing cascade of tears. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 May 2026 And the residents the commission represented largely hated the idea of a data center, and let that be known with signs and impassioned pleas during the public comments. Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 6 May 2026 After Andy gives an impassioned speech about the state of journalism that goes semi-viral, she is enlisted as features editor at Runway in order to restore credibility to a brand in crisis. Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 1 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for impassioned
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impassioned
Adjective
  • Set in Los Angeles, the film follows AJ, a shy teenager who loves skateboarding and drawing, and Kristen, a passionate surfer.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 May 2026
  • Much of the film is set in and around a Parisian elder-care facility, and Hamaguchi guides us through its rooms and hallways, its meetings and rituals, with a patience and passionate granularity worthy of the late documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • Perhaps the Portuguese’s midweek recognition — an accolade Odegaard may have received in 2024 had things ended differently — provoked his inner ego.
    Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 12 May 2026
  • Wasps are territorial creatures that can aggressively defend their nests and protect their young if provoked.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
Adjective
  • Passionate flamenco, a fervent soccer culture, and a 24,000-seat bullring are woven into Madrid’s rich cultural tapestry.
    Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 May 2026
  • The race to build data centers and deploy more complex AI systems that can complete tasks with limited oversight, known as agentic AI, has ignited fervent demand for central processing units, or CPUs.
    Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Verb
  • Jimenez’s ‘Si Senor’ song was belted out at regular intervals and fans would have been encouraged to hear the Mexican, speaking after the game, open up the prospect of a return to Wolves when his Fulham contract expires this summer.
    Steve Madeley, New York Times, 18 May 2026
  • Matching the anything-goes vibe that flows through the resort, the breezy restaurant pavilion is merely a suggestion—ordering lunch or dinner to your private terrace, a candlelit table on the beach, or one of the dozen-or-so secret seating nooks scattered around the property is actively encouraged.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Adjective
  • State and federal taxes, seasonal demand and even more expensive fuel blends needed for warmer weather are all pieces of the pie.
    Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • When the weather gets warm, nothing satisfies quite like cold noodles in iced broth.
    Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Economic development will be stimulated by large infrastructure investments, but energy and other resources will be strained.
    Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
  • When people spend long periods in activities that require very little mental effort, those pathways may not be stimulated in the same way.
    Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 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
Verb
  • Riley’s movies are entwined with—and, often, inspired by—music.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
  • He was eventually acquitted on the grounds that the real-life incident that inspired the film, which a student in one of his film workshops turned into a documentary, was in the pubic domain.
    Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 16 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impassioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impassioned. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on impassioned

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