Meanings
comparative more ardent · superlative most ardent
- Full of ardor; expressing passion, spirit, or enthusiasm.
Nor gushing tears, nor ardent prayers, shall shake our firm decree.
1750, “Theodora”, Thomas Morell (lyrics), George Frideric Handel (music)2 more examples
This ardent exploration, absorbing all his energy and interest, made him forget for the moment the mystery of his heritage and the anomaly that cut him off from all his fellows.
1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, page 43I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted; that cannot be; listen patiently until the end of my story, and you will easily perceive why I am reserved upon that subject. I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery.
1818, Mary Shelley, chapter 4, in Frankenstein, archived from the original on 30 Oct 2011Synonyms: burning
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveFull of ardor; expressing passion, spirit, or enthusiasm.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivecharacterized by intense emotion
adjectivecharacterized by strong enthusiasm
adjectiveglowing or shining like fire
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinardentem
- Old Frenchardant
- Anglo-Normanardent
- Middle Englishardaunt
- Englishardent
First attested circa 14th century as Middle English ardaunt, borrowed from Anglo-Norman ardent and Old French ardant, from Latin ardentem, accusative of ardēns, present participle of ardeō (“to burn”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian пламенен
- пламенен (plamenen)full of ardour
Catalan ardent, fervorós
- ardentfull of ardour
- fervorósfull of ardour
- ferventfull of ardour
- fogósfull of ardour
- ardentglowing
Chinese Mandarin 熱烈 /热烈, 熱心 /热心
- 熱烈 /热烈 (rèliè)full of ardour
- 熱心 /热心 (rèxīn)full of ardour
Czech vášnivý, horlivý
- vášnivýfull of ardour
- horlivýfull of ardour
- vřelýfull of ardour
- zanícenýfull of ardour
- zapálenýfull of ardour
- žhnoucíglowing
- planoucíglowing
Dutch vurig, passioneel
- vurigfull of ardour
- passioneelfull of ardour
- brandendglowing
- gloeiendglowing
Esperanto arda
- ardafull of ardour
Finnish kiihkeä, polttava
- kiihkeäfull of ardour
- polttavafull of ardour
- palavafull of ardour
- hehkuvafull of ardour
- tulenpalavafull of ardour
- leimuavaglowing
French ardent, farouche
- ardentfull of ardour
- farouchefull of ardour
- ferventfull of ardour
- passionnéfull of ardour
- ardentglowing
German feurig
- feurigfull of ardour
Greek φλογερός
- φλογερός (flogerós)full of ardour
Irish galach
- galachfull of ardour
Japanese 熱烈, 熱心
- 熱烈 (netsuretsu)full of ardour
- 熱心 (nesshin)full of ardour
Latin calidus, flagrāns
- calidusfull of ardour
- flagrānsfull of ardour
- igneusfull of ardour
- calidusglowing
Māori mōhukihuki
- mōhukihukifull of ardour
Norwegian Bokmål ildfull, ihuga
- ildfullfull of ardour
- ihugafull of ardour
Polish zapalony, płomienny
- zapalonyfull of ardour
- płomiennyfull of ardour
Portuguese ardente
- ardentefull of ardour
Russian горя́чий, пы́лкий
- горя́чий (gorjáčij)full of ardour
- пы́лкий (pýlkij)full of ardour
- я́рый (járyj)full of ardour
- пла́менный (plámennyj)full of ardour
- стра́стный (strástnyj)full of ardour
- пыла́ющий (pylájuščij)glowing
Spanish ardiente
- ardientefull of ardour
Swedish ivrig
- ivrigfull of ardour
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
ardent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ardent
“ardent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ardent. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ardent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ardent.
Source: ardent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.