Meanings
- pluralplural onlyDistilled alcoholic liquor such as whiskey, brandy, or vodka; especially, strong variants thereof (higher-proof versions).
Near-synonyms: hard liquor, liquor (narrow sense), strong drink (narrow sense), hard drink (narrow sense), spirits
1 more example
"Even then I realized the possibilities of my suburb, that hotbed of revolution in which heroes, inventors, and practical men of science, rogues and scoundrels, virtues and vices, were all packed together by poverty, stifled by necessity, drowned in drink, and consumed by ardent spirits."
1837, et al, Honoré de Balzac, translated by Clara Bell, Facino CaneSynonyms: aqua vitae, water of life, eau de vie, hard liquor, liquor, strong drink, hard drink, spirits
Synonyms & antonyms
nounDistilled alcoholic liquor such as whiskey, brandy, or vodka; especially, strong variants thereof (higher-proof versions).
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
First attested 1471, from its inflammability; see etymology section of ardent.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ardent spirits. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ardent%20spirits
“ardent spirits.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ardent%20spirits. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ardent spirits,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ardent%20spirits.
Source: ardent spirits on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.