ARDORS Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'ardor' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ardor are enthusiasm , fervor , passion , and zeal . While all these words mean "intense emotion compelling action," ardor suggests warm and excited feeling likely to be fitful or short-lived. // the ardor of their honeymoon soon faded

Q: Where would 'enthusiasm' be a reasonable alternative to 'ardor'?

While the synonyms enthusiasm and ardor are close in meaning, enthusiasm applies to lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity. // never showed much enthusiasm for sports

Q: When is 'fervor' a more appropriate choice than 'ardor'?

The meanings of fervor and ardor largely overlap; however, fervor implies a warm and steady emotion. // read the poem aloud with great fervor

Q: When is it sensible to use 'passion' instead of 'ardor'?

While in some cases nearly identical to ardor , passion applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable. // was a slave to his passions

Q: When might 'zeal' be a better fit than 'ardor'?

The synonyms zeal and ardor are sometimes interchangeable, but zeal implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause. // preaches with fanatical zeal

ardor

noun

ˈär-dər

Definition of ardor

as in enthusiasm

depth of feeling candidates for citizenship reciting the oath of allegiance to the United States with all the ardor that they could muster

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in thirst

urgent desire or interest his ardor for combat cooled once he began experiencing the horrors of war

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in passion

intense sexual desire her revealing outfit only inflamed his ardor all the more

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

frigidity

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun ardor differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ardor are enthusiasm, fervor, passion, and zeal. While all these words mean "intense emotion compelling action," ardor suggests warm and excited feeling likely to be fitful or short-lived.

the ardor of their honeymoon soon faded

Where would enthusiasm be a reasonable alternative to ardor?

While the synonyms enthusiasm and ardor are close in meaning, enthusiasm applies to lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity.

never showed much enthusiasm for sports

When is fervor a more appropriate choice than ardor?

The meanings of fervor and ardor largely overlap; however, fervor implies a warm and steady emotion.

read the poem aloud with great fervor

When is it sensible to use passion instead of ardor?

While in some cases nearly identical to ardor, passion applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable.

was a slave to his passions

When might zeal be a better fit than ardor?

The synonyms zeal and ardor are sometimes interchangeable, but zeal implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause.

preaches with fanatical zeal

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 ardor After an early-morning session with the hens, a gobbler’s ardor may rise again at midday. — Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026 In the early 1980s, in the full flush of revolutionary ardor and against an age-old enemy who had attacked them without provocation, the Iranian people and armed forces fought and suffered for their country. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026 By contrast with the work of other documentary filmmakers of similarly observational ardor, Depardon’s method is rugged. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026 The ardor of contention, the pride of victory, the despair of success, the memory of past injuries and the fear of future dangers all contribute to inflame the mind and to silence the voice of pity. — David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ardor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ardor

Noun

Capricorn December 22 – January 19 The people around you may reveal where your enthusiasm belongs next.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 23 Oct. 2026
Despite Democratic enthusiasm this year, Donnini cautioned that polling numbers do not automatically translate into election victories.

— Jack Fink, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of enthusiasm

Noun

The song addresses overcoming adversity and using others’ doubts to fuel your passion.

— Melinda Newman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2026
The backstory Saltus is a family-run passion project led by sisters Claudia and Nadja Mumelter, alongside their mother, Hedwig.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of passion

Noun

Murban crude, produced by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has a carbon intensity less than half the global industry average.

— H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
My entire goal was to stay as relaxed as possible and let the contractions keep doing the work—an extremely challenging task as the intensity continued to build.

— Trinity Mouzon Wofford, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of intensity

Noun

Seeking sense to her loveless existence, at least in the novel Ana attracts the predatorial lust of Magistral Fermín de Pas, her sensual confessor at La Vetusta cathedral, as well as the attentions of local Don Juan Álvaro Mejías.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Colman play bizarro newlyweds in a naughty parable about lust, jealousy and moral hypocrisy.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of lust

Noun

These are songs that iterate and elevate minor party fouls into dramas of symphonic proportion, arrangements that articulate the heightened emotions churning inside anxious minds.

— Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
Thomas is anxious, but with death looming, Vision finally nails the conversation he’s been practicing by investing it with real emotion, conviction, and support.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of emotion

Noun

Feel free to add a blazer or a turtleneck for extra warmth in case your office AC is still on.

— Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2026
Harris offered Mirren further coverage and warmth beneath her gown with black nylon tights, a wardrobe staple for most during the colder months.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of warmth

Cite this Entry

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“Ardor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ardor. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ardor

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