ardor suggests warm and excited feeling likely to be fitful or short-lived.
the ardor of their honeymoon soon faded
enthusiasm applies to lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity.
never showed much enthusiasm for sports
zeal implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause.
preaches with fanatical zeal
Example Sentences
the sudden ardors of youth candidates for citizenship reciting the oath of allegiance to the United States with all the ardor that they could muster
Recent Examples on the WebAnother win will only increase the attention, and ardor, of tennis fans and turn up the volume on talk about whether this could be another turn-back-the-clock U.S. Open story. Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2022 Nowhere is this more evident than in the wildly inventive and passionate world of car culture, where enthusiasts show off vastly different vehicles in a display not only of automotive ardor but also of their own personal success. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2022 What could possibly inspire ardor less than a time when women couldn't vote or own property? Aj Willingham, CNN, 31 July 2022 The increasingly unrealistic expectations that accompany Woods most everywhere – a residue of having won most everywhere – have never dampened his ardor for competing at the Old. Eamon Lynch, USA TODAY, 15 July 2022 Those squealing daughters are now screaming moms — and their ardor hasn’t lessened. Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2022 When his ardor flagged, the nymph’s task was to rekindle it. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022 With properly diffuse lighting and a kindly mirror, most (white male) rock critics can probably see themselves as a version of Malkmus, rocking with sensitive ardor and obscure wit. Jim Greer, SPIN, 31 July 2022 It’s no wonder, then, that Edebiri took on Glamour’s Inappropriate Questions with wit and ardor. Kimberly Truong, Glamour, 23 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English ardour, borrowed from Anglo-French ardur, ardour "burning, fever, passion," borrowed from Latin ardōr-, ardor "burning, flash of light, extreme heat, mental excitement, eagerness, passion," from ardēre "to burn, be fiercely hot, be violently excited, be eager" + -ōr-, -or (earlier *-ōs-, *-ōs), abstract noun suffix — more at ardent