ardent

adjective

ar·​dent ˈär-dᵊnt How to pronounce ardent (audio)
1
: characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity
ardent proponents of the bill
an ardent admirer
ardent fans
2
: fiery, hot
an ardent sun
3
: shining, glowing
ardent eyes
ardently adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for ardent

impassioned, passionate, ardent, fervent, fervid, perfervid mean showing intense feeling.

impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

perfervid implies the expression of exaggerated or overwrought feelings.

perfervid expressions of patriotism

Examples of ardent in a Sentence

These ardent young nationalists, mostly still in their 20s and impatient for freedom, had acquired arms from sympathetic nationalist officers in the Indian army … Gita Mehta, Vogue, April 1997
In fact, Gorbachev told me, a schoolboy essay he'd written on the virtues of Stalin was considered so ardent and exemplary that "for years thereafter other children were made to read it." David Remnick, New Yorker, 18 Nov. 1996
During the fourth century, pagan piety in the upper classes became more elevated, more ardent, and more mystical. Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993
made ardent declarations of love to the woman he someday hoped to marry an ardent science-fiction fan who has read virtually all of his favorite author's many works
Recent Examples on the Web Taken By the Princess of Wales Has Been Flagged as Manipulated This ready-to-wear brand has cultivated an ardent following for its elegant, feminine shapes and inclusive sizing since launching in 2012. Laura Neilson, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024 Phin attributes her fashion affinity to her mother, an ardent fashion enthusiast who clinched the title of best-dressed in college, and her grandmother, a skilled seamstress. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 20 Mar. 2024 Even some of its most ardent supporters, like BMW, have finally admitted its end is near. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 Saying Aloha: The Washington Post reports that Trump has spoken to former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who has become an ardent critic of many in her political party, about his plans for the Defense Department in a potential second term. Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024 Tlaib is also one of Israel's most ardent critics in Congress and has called repeatedly on the Biden administration to demand a cease-fire. Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 8 Mar. 2024 Republican Chris Mathys, a rancher and businessman who is an ardent Donald Trump supporter, challenged Valadao over his vote to impeach the former president. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 The contrast between Navalny’s rushed funeral, attended by ardent supporters, and Putin’s grandiose state-of-the-nation address a day earlier could not have been starker. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 The president’s ardent support for Israel has enraged a large bloc of American progressives, many of them Jewish, and Arab Americans, most notably in and around the Michigan city of Dearborn — home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the country. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ardent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ardaunt, ardent "burning, fiery, passionate," borrowed from Middle French ardent, ardant, going back to Old French, borrowed from Latin ardent-, ardens "burning, fiercely hot, shining, eager, passionate," from present participle of ardēre "to burn, emit light or flame, be fiercely hot, be violently excited, be eager," derivative of āridus, ārdus "dry, waterless" — more at arid

Note: The assumption here is that the initial long vowel of āridus is shortened in ardēre, though this is uncertain. (Ernout and Meillet in Dictionnaire étymologique de langue latine marked it as long, though M. Leumann in Lateinische Laut- und Formenlehre considered it to have been shortened.) Although derivation of ardēre from āridus seems likely on a morphological basis, the semantic relation is anomalous, as the verb is not a stative derivative of the adjective—the verb ārēre "to be dry, parched" already serves that function. The noun ardor is similarly anomalous. Most other stative verbs in -ēre paired with adjectives in -idus have a corresponding abstract noun ending in -ōr-, -or (originally *-ōs-, *-ōs), but the pair āridus/ārēre lacks a corresponding noun *āror. The derivative ardor does not provide it, as it means "burning, fierce heat," not "dryness" (though heat produces dryness, the implicit semantic connection).

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ardent was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ardent

Cite this Entry

“Ardent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ardent. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ardent

adjective
ar·​dent ˈärd-ᵊnt How to pronounce ardent (audio)
1
: showing or having warmth of feeling : passionate
an ardent admirer
2
: zealous, devoted
an ardent supporter
ardently adverb

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