enthusiasm definition | Dictionary.com

en⋅thu⋅si⋅asm

[en-thoo-zee-az-uh

–noun

1.	absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit; lively interest: He shows marked enthusiasm for his studies.

2.	an occupation, activity, or pursuit in which such interest is shown: Hunting is his latest enthusiasm.

3.	any of various forms of extreme religious devotion, usually associated with intense emotionalism and a break with orthodoxy.

Origin:
1570–80; < LL enthūsiasmus < Gk enthousiasmós, equiv. to enthousí(a) possession by a god (énthous, var. of éntheos having a god within, equiv. to en- en- ² + -thous, -theos god-possessing + -ia y³ ) + -asmos, var., after vowel stems, of -ismos -ism

Synonyms:
1. eagerness, warmth, fervor, zeal, ardor, passion, devotion.

Antonyms:
1. indifference.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To enthusiasm

en·thu·si·asm (ěn-thōō'zē-āz'əm)

Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause.
A source or cause of great excitement or interest.
Archaic
1. Ecstasy arising from supposed possession by a god.
2. Religious fanaticism.

[Late Latin enthūsiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein, to be inspired by a god, from entheos, possessed : en-, in; see en-² + theos, god; see dhēs- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," said the very quotable Ralph Waldo Emerson, who also said, "Everywhere the history of religion betrays a tendency to enthusiasm." These two uses of the word enthusiasm—one positive and one negative—both derive from its source in Greek. Enthusiasm first appeared in English in 1603 with the meaning "possession by a god." The source of the word is the Greek enthousiasmos, which ultimately comes from the adjective entheos, "having the god within," formed from en, "in, within," and theos, "god." Over time the meaning of enthusiasm became extended to "rapturous inspiration like that caused by a god" to "an overly confident or delusory belief that one is inspired by God," to "ill-regulated religious fervor, religious extremism," and eventually to the familiar sense "craze, excitement, strong liking for something." Now one can have an enthusiasm for almost anything, from water skiing to fast food, without religion entering into it at all

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Enthusiasm

En*thu"si*asm\, n. [Gr. ?, fr. ? to be inspired or possessed by the god, fr. ?, ?, inspired: cf. enthousiasme. See Entheal, Theism.]

1. 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.

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

2. A state of impassioned emotion; transport; elevation of fancy; exaltation of soul; as, the poetry of enthusiasm.

Resolutions adopted in enthusiasm are often repented of when excitement has been succeeded by the wearing duties of hard everyday routine. --Froude.

Exhibiting the seeming contradiction of susceptibility to enthusiasm and calculating shrewdness. --Bancroft.

3. 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.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. --Emerson.

4. Lively manifestation of joy or zeal.

Philip was greeted with a tumultuous enthusiasm. --Prescott.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

Language Translation for : enthusiasm

Spanish: entusiasmo,

German: die Begeisterung,

Japanese: 熱中

More Translations »

enthusiasm

1603, from M.Fr. enthousiasme, from Gk. enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein "be inspired," from entheos "inspired, possessed by a god," from en- "in" + theos "god" (see Thea). Acquired a derogatory sense of "excessive religious emotion" (1660) under the Puritans; generalized sense of "fervor, zeal" (the main modern sense) is first recorded 1716. Enthusiastic in the modern sense is from 1764. Earlier derogatory sense especially seems to have colored modern sense of enthusiast (1764). Enthuse is an 1827 back-formation.

Search another word or see enthusiasm on Thesaurus | Reference

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us