Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of perfervid are ardent, fervent, fervid, impassioned, and passionate. While all these words mean "showing intense feeling," perfervid implies the expression of exaggerated or overwrought feelings.

perfervid expressions of patriotism

When might ardent be a better fit than perfervid?

The words ardent and perfervid can be used in similar contexts, but ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

In what contexts can fervent take the place of perfervid?

While in some cases nearly identical to perfervid, fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

When can fervid be used instead of perfervid?

The words fervid and perfervid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

When would impassioned be a good substitute for perfervid?

The synonyms impassioned and perfervid are sometimes interchangeable, but impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

When is it sensible to use passionate instead of perfervid?

While the synonyms passionate and perfervid are close in meaning, passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

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 perfervid The scant paintings on view reverse an emphasis on figurative imagery in the 2019 Biennial, tilting toward a lately prevalent revival of abstraction in perfervid styles that have yet to demonstrate staying power. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2022 This latest controversy won’t dent Thomas’s formidable reputation as a jurist, but it’s another mark against his perfervid critics who have no decency. Rich Lowry, National Review, 1 Apr. 2022 So why, with all this perfervid material at her disposal, did the director, Haifaa Al-Mansour, and her co-screenwriter, Emma Jensen, opt for such cautiousness? Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 May 2018 Down south near San Diego, gray-faced children toil in a slave-labor camp that Dickens could not have imagined in his most perfervid dreams. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perfervid
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
  • At Fox, Collier became known for his passional embrace of blockchain, NFTs and the whole Web3 space.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Nov. 2022
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
  • Best Things to See and Do One of the highlights of the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway is its access to hiking trails, so make sure to bring decent walking or hiking shoes and a warm layer or two.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Used a mulch, leaves keep soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, protecting plant roots from extreme temperatures.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • During periods of intense rainfall, the risk of flooding increases, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Safdie perceptively locates the protagonist’s troubling inner contradictions—the atavistic fury that drives him to compete and the intense self-control that competition demands—but dramatizes such outer crises as opioid addiction and conflict with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt) only schematically.
    Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The entire scene unfolded on Neuheisel’s network, which invited viewers to witness the emotional roller coaster of a father rooting for his son.
    Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • See the emotional exchange here.
    Griselda Flores, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Perfervid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfervid. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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