ardor
Americannoun
-
great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.
She spoke persuasively and with ardor.
- Synonyms:
- intensity, earnestness, spirit, fervency
-
intense devotion, eagerness, or enthusiasm; zeal.
his well-known ardor for Chinese art.
-
burning heat.
Etymology
Origin of ardor
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin, equivalent to ārd ( ēre ) to burn + -or -or 1; replacing Middle English ardure < Old French ardur < Latin, as above; 17th century ardour < Anglo-French < Latin, as above
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ron Chernow, in his authoritative biography of Hamilton, writes, “theirs was a friendship of unusual ardor,” but regards the lifelong bond between the sisters as evidence against an affair.
Only the ardor of the Wall Street firms, desperate to buy fire insurance on their burning home, remained undimmed.
From Literature
Over a bar piano and later behind closed doors, they bond over an affinity for rural songs thick with hardship, ardor and longing.
From Los Angeles Times
Van Patten and De Domenico plausibly capture that youthful ardor while making it obvious why their displays of affection translate poorly to local police officials unprepared to investigate a murder that quickly drew international scrutiny.
From Salon
Despite her creeping cynicism toward politics and its appropriation of movie style, Didion hadn’t lost her ardor for film.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
