avid

[ av-id ]

adjective

1. showing great enthusiasm for or interest in:

   an avid moviegoer.

   Synonyms: fanatic, zealous, dedicated, devoted, keen, ardent, enthusiastic

   Antonyms: reluctant, apathetic, indifferent

2. extremely desirous; eager; greedy (often followed by for or sometimes of ):

   avid for pleasure; avid of power.

   Synonyms: rapacious, insatiable, hungry, covetous

   Antonyms: loath, disdainful

avid

/ ˈævɪd /

adjective

1. very keen; enthusiastic

   an avid reader

2. postpositive; often foll by for or of eager (for); desirous (of); greedy (for)

   avid for revenge

Derived Forms

• ˈavidly, adverb

Other Word Forms

• av·id·ly adverb
• av·id·ness noun
• un·av·id adjective
• un·av·id·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of avid¹

First recorded in 1760–70; from French avide, from Latin avidus, equivalent to av(ēre) “to crave” + -idus adjective suffix; -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of avid¹

C18: from Latin avidus, from avēre to long for

Synonym Study

Avid, eager, keen all share the sense of strongly desirous. Avid suggests a desire akin to greed, so strong as to be insatiable: driven by an avid need for fame and recognition. Eager implies a desire that is strong and impatient but less than overpowering: eager to try his hand at new tasks. Keen carries a sense of zest and active, alert desire: an amateur painter, ever keen to try new techniques.

Example Sentences

Or, if you rather, opt for simply garlic salt, garlic powder or even a garlic puree to avid any sort of texture whatsoever.

From Salon

Philip was an avid reader and theatre lover who won a scholarship to Cardiff University to read Maths when he was only 16.

From BBC

Among what the ALA estimates to be more than 1.2 billion in-person visits annually to libraries around the country, homeschoolers are among the system's most avid patrons.

From Salon

A gifted computer programmer, avid skydiver and motorcycle racer, Landi had been a man on the lam for roughly a decade.

From Los Angeles Times

The world's largest population, a thriving economy and a determined Communist Party led by an avid football fan, President Xi Jinping.

From BBC

Related Words

• ardent
• devoted
• eager
• fanatical
• fervent
• hungry
• impatient
• insatiable
• keen
• passionate
• ravenous
• thirsty
• voracious
• zealous