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

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.4 / 5 votes

1. enthusiasmnoun

   a feeling of excitement

2. exuberance, enthusiasm, ebulliencenoun

   overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval

3. enthusiasmnoun

   a lively interest

   "enthusiasm for his program is growing"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 4 votes

1. enthusiasmnoun

   Possession by a god; divine inspiration or frenzy.

2. enthusiasmnoun

   Intensity of feeling; excited interest or eagerness.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Enthusiasmnoun

   Etymology: ἐνϑουσιασμὸς.

   1. A vain belief of private revelation; a vain confidence of divine favour or communication.

   Enthusiasm is founded neither on reason nor divine revelation, but rises from the conceits of a warmed or overweening brain. John Locke.

   2. Heat of imagination; violence of passion; confidence of opinion.3. Elevation of fancy; exaltation of ideas.

   Imaging is, in itself, the very height and life of poetry, which, by a kind of enthusiasm, or extraordinary emotion of soul, makes it seem to us that we behold those things which the poet paints. John Dryden, Juv. Preface.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. enthusiasm

   Enthusiasm is a state of intense interest, enjoyment, or eagerness for something, typically characterized by a high level of energy or excitement. It often results in active participation or engagement in the activity or subject one is enthusiastic about.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Enthusiasmnoun

   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

2. Enthusiasmnoun

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

3. Enthusiasmnoun

   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

4. Enthusiasmnoun

   lively manifestation of joy or zeal

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

FreebaseRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

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 DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. enthusiasm

   The great hill-climber.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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  

Matched Categories

1. • Feeling
   • Interest
   • Spirit

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

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. 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.

2. Matt Barreto:

   This is happening in an off year, in an off month -- we are on the tail end of summer -- so there was a lot of hand ringing in the summer, but no one was paying attention to the recall. There was no enthusiasm gap because there was no enthusiasm, the fact that it is all coming in the last month is normal and it just makes sense to me.

3. Arnold J. Toynbee:

   Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things first, an ideal, with takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice.

4. Doug Hall:

   Fun is fundamental. There is no way around it. You absolutely must have fun. Without fun, there is no enthusiasm. Without enthusiasm, there is no energy. Without energy, there are only shades of gray.

5. Vince Lombardi:

   If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.

Popularity rank by frequency of use