Synonyms for passion
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Zeal — fervor, determination
zeal, enthusiasm, ardor US, ardour UK, devotion, excitement, fervor US, fervour UK, eagerness, soul, fury, vehemence, violence, animation, inflammation, ardency rare
Definitions
- n. 1
Fervor, determination.
I spoke with a burning passion.
- n. 2
A true desire sustained or prolonged.
- n. 3
Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or extreme hate.
We share a passion for books.
- n. 4
An object of passionate or romantic love or strong romantic interest.
It started as a hobby, but now my motorbike collection has become my passion.
Related words
- Word family
- pash passionate passionless passive passivity
- Phrases
- passion wagon passion killer
Forms
- Plural
- passions → zeals, enthusiasms, ardors, devotions…
Choose the right word
Appetite is used only of the demands of the physical system, unless otherwise expressly stated, as when we say an appetite for knowledge; passion includes all excitable impulses of our nature, as anger, fear, love, hatred, etc.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- excitement Igor's excitement for exploring Algeria only grew.
- enthusiasm He destroyed all of my enthusiasm to learn Berber.
- devotion The senator avowed his devotion to his constituents.
- zeal Success is due less to ability than to zeal.
- desire It is true that we desire to live in a small town.
- agony Tom mistook Mary's singing for a cry of agony.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| passion | rising | |
| excitement | rising | |
| enthusiasm | steady | |
| devotion | steady | |
| zeal | steady | |
| desire | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- love1, fire2, heat1, soul1, rage1, fury2, glow1, lust1, zeal1, tiff1
- 5 letters
- heart1, fever2, agony3, mania3, craze1, ardor2
- 6 letters
- desire3, warmth1, temper2, fervor2, ardour, choler
- 7 letters
- feeling2, emotion3, impulse2, rapture2, fervour, ardency
- 8 letters
- violence3, appetite3, devotion3, fondness2
- 9 letters
- transport2, suffering3, animation4, sentiment3, affection3, eagerness3, vehemence3, cacoethes
- 10 letters
- excitement3, enthusiasm5, attachment3
- 11 letters
- infatuation5
- 12 letters
- inflammation4
- 14 letters
- passionateness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (fire2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- passion
- Italiano
- passione
- Español
- pasión
- Deutsch
- Leidenschaft
- Català
- passió