ardor means great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion. It carries an Arena rating of 1500, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ardor ranks #2,356 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #2,580 of 14,456 for The Improbable, #2,737 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words.
ardor is pronounced /ˈɑːdə/.
Why “ardor” is a great word
A state of intense warmth of feeling, enthusiasm, or passion. It derives from Middle English ardour, ardowr, ardure, from Anglo-Norman ardour, from Old French ardur, from Latin ardor ("burning, heat, passion"), from ardēre ("to burn"). Unlike "enthusiasm," which is an eager and often buoyant zeal, or "apathy," the chilling absence of all concern, ardor suggests a deeper, more sustained emotional heat. It is the blush on a lover's cheek, the sweat on a soldier's brow, and the silent, white-hot focus of a craftsman at the forge—the kind of heat that does not flicker but endures, shaping longing into something almost holy.
noun
- Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.“I rushed towards her, and embraced her with ardour; but the deathly languor and coldness of the limbs told me, that what I now held in my arms had ceased to be the Elizabeth whom I had loved and cherished.”
- Spirit; enthusiasm; passion.
- Intense heat.
Words closest in meaning
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