Adjacent Words

Ardor definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

'ARDOR, n. [L.]
1. Heat, in a literal sense; as, the ardor of the sun's rays.
2. Warmth, or heat, applied to the passions and affections; eagerness; as, he pursues study with ardor; they fought with ardor.
Milton uses the word for person or spirit bright and effulgent, but by an unusual license.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause); "they were imbued with a revolutionary ardor"; "he felt a kind of religious zeal" [syn: ardor, ardour, elan, zeal]
2: intense feeling of love [syn: ardor, ardour]
3: feelings of great warmth and intensity; "he spoke with great ardor" [syn: ardor, ardour, fervor, fervour, fervency, fire, fervidness]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English ardour, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin ardor burning, heat, ardor, from aridus dry — more at arid Date: 14th century 1. a. an often restless or transitory warmth of feeling <the sudden ardors of youth> b. extreme vigor or energy ; intensity c. zeal d. loyalty 2. sexual excitement Synonyms: see passion

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ardor Ar"dor, n. [L. ardor, fr. ardere to burn: cf. OF. ardor, ardur, F. ardeur.] [Spelt also ardour.] 1. Heat, in a literal sense; as, the ardor of the sun's rays. 2. Warmth or heat of passion or affection; eagerness; zeal; as, he pursues study with ardor; the fought with ardor; martial ardor. 3. pl. Bright and effulgent spirits; seraphim. [Thus used by Milton.] Syn: Fervor; warmth; eagerness. See Fervor.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

see ardour

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Heat, warmth, glow, ardency, hotness. 2. Zeal, fervor, fervency, flame, glow, excitement, sharpness, earnestness, eagerness, heartiness, devotion, enthusiasm, soul, spirit, vehemence, impetuosity, intensity, heat, hotness, fierceness, passion.

Moby Thesaurus

Amor, Christian love, Eros, Platonic love, abandon, acquiescence, activity, admiration, adoration, affection, agape, agreeability, agreeableness, alacrity, allegiance, amenability, anger, animation, application, ardency, assiduity, assiduousness, attachment, avidity, bodily love, brio, briskness, brotherly love, calenture, caritas, charity, cheerful consent, commitment, committedness, compliance, concentration, concupiscence, conjugal love, consent, cooperativeness, curiosity, dedication, desideration, desire, devotedness, devotion, devoutness, diligence, docility, drive, eagerness, earnestness, ecstasy, elan, energeticalness, energy, enthusiasm, excitement, faith, faithful love, faithfulness, fancy, fantasy, favorable disposition, favorableness, fealty, fervency, fervidity, fervidness, fervor, fidelity, fieriness, fire, flame, fondness, forwardness, free love, free-lovism, furor, fury, galvanization, gameness, glow, goodwill, gusto, heart, heartiness, heat, heatedness, hero worship, hope, horme, hurrah, idolatry, idolism, idolization, impassionedness, impetuosity, impetus, indefatigability, industriousness, industry, intellectual curiosity, intensity, intentness, joie de vivre, keenness, laboriousness, lasciviousness, libido, life, like, liking, liveliness, love, lovemaking, loyalty, lust for learning, lustiness, married love, mettle, mind, need, passion, passionateness, perkiness, pertness, physical love, piety, pleasure, pleasure principle, pliability, pliancy, popular regard, popularity, promptness, quickening, readiness, receptive mood, receptiveness, receptivity, regard, relentlessness, relish, resolution, responsiveness, right mood, robustness, savor, sedulity, sedulousness, sentiment, seriousness, sex, sexual desire, sexual love, shine, sincerity, soul, spirit, spiritedness, spiritual love, stimulation, strenuousness, tender feeling, tender passion, thirst for knowledge, tirelessness, tractability, truelove, ungrudgingness, unloathness, unreluctance, unsparingness, urge, uxoriousness, vehemence, verve, vivacity, want, wanting, warmth, warmth of feeling, weakness, will, will and pleasure, willing ear, willing heart, willingness, wish, wish fulfillment, worship, yearning, zeal, zealousness, zest, zestfulness, zing