Definitions for enthusiasm
ɛnˈθu ziˌæz əmen·thu·si·asm

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. enthusiasm(noun)

   a feeling of excitement

2. exuberance, enthusiasm, ebullience(noun)

   overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval

3. enthusiasm(noun)

   a lively interest

   "enthusiasm for his program is growing"

Wiktionary(3.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. enthusiasm(Noun)

   Possession by a god; divine inspiration or frenzy.

2. enthusiasm(Noun)

   Intensity of feeling; excited interest or eagerness.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Enthusiasm(noun)

   inspiration as if by a divine or superhuman power; ecstasy; hence, a conceit of divine possession and revelation, or of being directly subject to some divine impulse

   Etymology: [Gr. , fr. to be inspired or possessed by the god, fr. , , inspired: cf. enthousiasme. See Entheal, Theism.]

2. Enthusiasm(noun)

   a state of impassioned emotion; transport; elevation of fancy; exaltation of soul; as, the poetry of enthusiasm

   Etymology: [Gr. , fr. to be inspired or possessed by the god, fr. , , inspired: cf. enthousiasme. See Entheal, Theism.]

3. Enthusiasm(noun)

   enkindled and kindling fervor of soul; strong excitement of feeling on behalf of a cause or a subject; ardent and imaginative zeal or interest; as, he engaged in his profession with enthusiasm

   Etymology: [Gr. , fr. to be inspired or possessed by the god, fr. , , inspired: cf. enthousiasme. See Entheal, Theism.]

4. Enthusiasm(noun)

   lively manifestation of joy or zeal

   Etymology: [Gr. , fr. to be inspired or possessed by the god, fr. , , inspired: cf. enthousiasme. See Entheal, Theism.]

Freebase(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Enthusiasm

   Enthusiasm originally meant inspiration or possession by a divine afflatus or by the presence of a god. Johnson's Dictionary, the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language, defines enthusiasm as "a vain belief of private revelation; a vain confidence of divine favour or communication." In current English vernacular the word simply means intense enjoyment, interest, or approval. Originally, an enthusiast was a person possessed by a god. Applied by the Greeks to manifestations of divine possession, by Apollo, or by Dionysus, the term enthusiasm was also used in a transferred or figurative sense. Socrates taught that the inspiration of poets is a form of enthusiasm. Its uses were confined to a belief in religious inspiration, or to intense religious fervour or emotion. Thus, a Syrian sect of the 4th century was known as the Enthusiasts. They believed that "by perpetual prayer, ascetic practices and contemplation, man could become inspired by the Holy Spirit, in spite of the ruling evil spirit, which the fall had given to him". From their belief in the efficacy of prayer, they were also known as Euchites.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Enthusiasm

   en-thū′zi-azm, n. intense interest: intensity of feeling: passionate zeal.—n. Enthū′siast, one inspired by enthusiasm: one who admires or loves intensely.—adjs. Enthusias′tic, -al, filled with enthusiasm; zealous: ardent.—adv. Enthusias′tically. [Through L., from Gr. enthusiasmos, a god-inspired zeal—enthousiazein, to be inspired by a god—en, in, theos, a god.]

The Roycroft Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. enthusiasm

   The great hill-climber.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. enthusiasm

   An energetic passion or focus.

   Her enthusiasm to unite people and promote working together for the optimum health, human rights, animal rights and shared prosperity of everyone was the truth and everyone knew and supported her honesty and truth.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 15, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'enthusiasm' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3291

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'enthusiasm' in Nouns Frequency: #1379

How to pronounce enthusiasm?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say enthusiasm in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of enthusiasm in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of enthusiasm in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of enthusiasm in a Sentence

1. David Viscott:

   To fail is a natural consequence of trying, To succeed takes time and prolonged effort in the face of unfriendly odds. To think it will be any other way, no matter what you do, is to invite yourself to be hurt and to limit your enthusiasm for trying again.

2. Mike Jennings:

   All we care about is someone having enthusiasm and passion. The rest we can teach.

3. James Baldwin:

   Fires can't be made with dead embers, nor can enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men. Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens effort and turns even labor into pleasant tasks.

4. Aldous Huxley:

   The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

5. Robert Thompson:

   ' Curb Your Enthusiasm' is supposed to make us uncomfortable, but some of the ways Your Enthusiasm is treating this is really kind of dicey.

Images & Illustrations of enthusiasm

Popularity rank by frequency of use