Meanings
passionate1
comparative more passionate · superlative most passionate
- Fired with intense feeling.
1 more example
1718, Matthew Prior, Solomon, and other Poems on several Occasions, Preface, in Samuel Johnson (editor), The Works of the English Poets, London: J. Nichols, Volume 31, 1779, p. 93, Homer intended to shew us, in his Iliad, that dissentions amongst great men obstruct the execution of the noblest enterprizes […] His Achilles therefore is haughty and passionate, impatient of any restraint by laws, and arrogant of arms.
Synonyms: ardent, blazing, burning, dithyrambic, fervent, fervid, fiery, flaming
- obsoleteSuffering; sorrowful.
Poor, forlorn Proteus, passionate Proteus,
c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], line 1241 more example
She is sad and passionate at your highness’ tent.
c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], line 544
passionate2
present singular third person passionates · participle present passionating · participle past passionated · past passionated
- obsoleteTo fill with passion, or with another given emotion.
Great pleasure mixt with pittifull regard, / That godly King and Queene did passionate [...].
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLCAntonyms: dispassionate
- obsoleteTo express with great emotion.
Thy niece and I, poor creatures, want our hands / And cannot passionate our tenfold grief / with folded arms.
c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], line 6
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveFired with intense feeling.
verbTo fill with passion, or with another given emotion.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehaving or expressing strong emotions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
passionate · adjective
- Medieval Latinpassiōnātus“affected, impassioned, libidinous, easely angered”
- Middle Englishpassionat
- Englishpassionate
From Middle English passionat, from Medieval Latin passiōnātus (“affected, impassioned, libidinous, easely angered”). Equivalent to passion + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Compare French passionné.
More words from Middle English, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →passionate · verb
From passion + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French passionner.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans passievol
- passievolfired with intense feeling
Ancient Greek περιπαθής
- περιπαθής (peripathḗs)fired with intense feeling
Arabic شَغُوف, مُتَحَمِّس
- شَغُوف (šaḡūf)fired with intense feeling
- مُتَحَمِّس (mutaḥammis)fired with intense feeling
Basque sutsua
- sutsuafired with intense feeling
Bulgarian страстен
- страстен (strasten)fired with intense feeling
Catalan apassionat
- apassionatfired with intense feeling
Chinese Mandarin 多情, 熾熱 /炽热
- 多情 (duōqíng)fired with intense feeling
- 熾熱 /炽热 (chìrè)fired with intense feeling
- 熱情 /热情 (rèqíng)fired with intense feeling
Czech vášnivý
- vášnivýfired with intense feeling
Danish lidenskabelig
- lidenskabeligfired with intense feeling
Dutch hartstochtelijk, gepassioneerd
- hartstochtelijkfired with intense feeling
- gepassioneerdfired with intense feeling
Esperanto pasia
- pasiafired with intense feeling
Finnish intohimoinen, kiihkeä
- intohimoinenfired with intense feeling
- kiihkeäfired with intense feeling
- tulinenfired with intense feeling
- palavafired with intense feeling
French passionné
- passionnéfired with intense feeling
German leidenschaftlich, intensiv
- leidenschaftlichfired with intense feeling
- intensivfired with intense feeling
- feurigfired with intense feeling
- stürmischfired with intense feeling
- heißblütigfired with intense feeling
- heißfired with intense feeling
Greek παθιασμένος
- παθιασμένος (pathiasménos)fired with intense feeling
Hindi वासनात्मक, कामवान
- वासनात्मक (vāsnātmak)fired with intense feeling
- कामवान (kāmvān)fired with intense feeling
- उत्साही (utsāhī)fired with intense feeling
Hungarian szenvedélyes
- szenvedélyesfired with intense feeling
Icelandic ástríðufullur
- ástríðufullurfired with intense feeling
Irish ainmhianach
- ainmhianachfired with intense feeling
Italian appassionato
- appassionatofired with intense feeling
Japanese 熱烈
- 熱烈 (netsuretsu)fired with intense feeling
Korean 불타는
- 불타는 (bultaneun)fired with intense feeling
Latin passionatus
- passionatusfired with intense feeling
Latvian kaislīgs
- kaislīgsfired with intense feeling
Māori remurere, tūkaha
- remurerefired with intense feeling
- tūkahafired with intense feeling
- koharafired with intense feeling
- panapanafired with intense feeling
- pukāfired with intense feeling
- ngākau whakapukefired with intense feeling
Persian پرشور
- پرشور (poršur)fired with intense feeling
Polish namiętny
- namiętnyfired with intense feeling
Portuguese ardente
- ardentefired with intense feeling
Romanian înflăcărat
- înflăcăratfired with intense feeling
Russian стра́стный, пы́лкий
- стра́стный (strástnyj)fired with intense feeling
- пы́лкий (pýlkij)fired with intense feeling
Scottish Gaelic dian, dìoghrasach
- dianfired with intense feeling
- dìoghrasachfired with intense feeling
- feargachfired with intense feeling
Slovak vášnivý
- vášnivýfired with intense feeling
Spanish apasionado
- apasionadofired with intense feeling
Swedish passionerad, lidelsefull
- passioneradfired with intense feeling
- lidelsefullfired with intense feeling
Turkish tutkulu
- tutkulufired with intense feeling
Ukrainian при́страсний
- при́страсний (prýstrasnyj)fired with intense feeling
Vietnamese đam mê, dể giận
- đam mêfired with intense feeling
- dể giậnfired with intense feeling
Cite this entry
passionate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passionate
“passionate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passionate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “passionate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passionate.
Source: passionate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.