Definition of ARDENT (original) (raw)
1
: characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity
ardent proponents of the bill
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for ardent
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.
fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.
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
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.
In their posh Palm Springs home, Polly and Lyman Wyeth (at Cygnet, played by Rosina Reynolds and Alan Rust) are ardent Republicans. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025 Friends and family remember Stephanie and Roger as extremely devoted parents and ardent supporters of Cory’s budding skating career. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2025 Even though Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers, six Republicans voted against the bill in the Senate, three of them ardent DeSantis supporters. —Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2025 Jones, from FanDuel, says ardent sports gamblers give little shrift to this trend. —Rob Csernyik, WIRED, 25 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for ardent 
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 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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