passionate means given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic, sexual, or both. It carries an Arena rating of 1535, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, passionate ranks #593 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #974 of 42,752 for Qualifying, #1,788 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,907 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
passionate is pronounced /ˈpæʃənɪt/.
Why “passionate” is a great word
Marked by strong, compelling emotion or conviction. Its lineage traces from Middle English *passionat*, through Medieval Latin *passiōnātus* ("affected, impassioned"), itself built on Late Latin *passiōn-* (stem of *passiō*, "suffering, strong feeling") and the adjectival suffix *-ātus*. Unlike "fervent," which suggests a steady, glowing devotion, or "dispassionate," which denotes cool impartiality, "passionate" admits a more volatile and encompassing heat. It is the choked voice in a darkened theater, the salt-tang of tears shed in private conviction, the grip that leaves a bruise—a raw and often costly surrender to feeling, proof that what burns brightest is never quite under our control.
Etymology
From Middle English passionat, from Medieval Latin passiōnātus (“affected, impassioned, libidinous, easely angered”). Equivalent to passion + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Compare French passionné.
adj
- Given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic, sexual, or both.e.g.“Mandy is a passionate lover.”
- Fired with intense feeling.
- Suffering; sorrowful.e.g.“She is sad and passionate at your highness’ tent.” — c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]
verb
- To fill with passion, or with another given emotion.e.g.“Great pleasure mixt with pittifull regard, / That godly King and Queene did passionate [...].” — 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- To express with great emotion.e.g.“Thy niece and I, poor creatures, want our hands / And cannot passionate our tenfold grief / with folded arms.” — c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggar
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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