Standard Lemma guide

ardor

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɑːdə/
  • US: /ˈɑːɹdɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)də(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 R D ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Spirit; enthusiasm; passion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Intense heat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

feelings of great warmth and intensity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he spoke with great ardor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ardour, fervor, fervour, fervency, fire, fervidness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: passion, passionateness

Narrower terms: zeal

5

noun

Meaning 5

intense feeling of love

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ardour

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: love

6

noun

Meaning 6

a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they were imbued with a revolutionary ardor
  • he felt a kind of religious zeal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ardour, elan, zeal

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: eagerness, avidity, avidness, keenness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2eHs- Proto-Indo-European *-éh1ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1yeti Proto-Indo-European *h2eHs-eh1yeti Proto-Italic *āzēō Latin āreō Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin āridus Latin ārdus ▲ Proto-Indo-European *-éh1yeti Proto-Italic *-ēō Latin -eō Latin ārdeō Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *-ōs Proto-Italic *-ōs Latin -or Latin ārdorbor. Old French ardur Anglo-Norman ardourbor. Middle English ardour English ardor From Middle English ardour, ardowr, ardure, from Anglo-Norman ardour, from Old French ardur, from Latin ardor, from ardere (“to burn”).

Across languages

Translations

71 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: імпэт (impet) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Bulgarian: плам (plam) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Bulgarian: жар (žar) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Bulgarian: страст (strast) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Bulgarian: усърдие (usǎrdie) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Chinese Mandarin: 熱情 /热情 (rèqíng) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Czech: vášeň — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Czech: vroucnost — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Czech: zanícení — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Esperanto: ardo — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Finnish: lämpö — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Finnish: tunteen palo — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Finnish: into — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Finnish: innostus — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Finnish: innokkuus — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Finnish: intohimo — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • French: ardeur — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • French: ferveur — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • German: Begeisterung — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • German: Feuereifer — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • German: Hitze — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • German: Überschwang — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Hungarian: lelkesedés — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Hungarian: hév — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Hungarian: szenvedély — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Italian: ardore — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Italian: fervore — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Japanese: 熱情 (netsujō) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Japanese: 情熱 (jōnetsu) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Māori: mate kanehe — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Middle English: ardour — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Old English: ǣling — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Portuguese: ardor — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Romanian: ardoare — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Romanian: înflăcărare — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Romanian: pasiune — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Romanian: ardență — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Russian: пыл (pyl) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Russian: рве́ние (rvénije) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Russian: усе́рдие (usérdije) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Sanskrit: घृण (ghṛṇa) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Slovak: zápal — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Slovak: zapálenie — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Slovak: vrúcnosť — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Slovak: horlivosť — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Spanish: fervor — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Spanish: ardor — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Swedish: glöd — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Swedish: iver — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Ottoman Turkish: حرارت (hararet) — great warmth of feeling; fervor; passion
  • Czech: nadšení — spirit
  • Czech: zápal — spirit
  • Czech: vášeň — spirit
  • Danish: iver — spirit
  • Lithuanian: užsidegimas — spirit
  • Portuguese: ardor — spirit
  • Romanian: ardoare — spirit
  • Romanian: pasiune — spirit
  • Russian: страсть (strastʹ) — spirit
  • Spanish: pasión — spirit
  • Swedish: passion — spirit
  • Ottoman Turkish: حرارت (hararet) — spirit
  • French: ardeur — heat
  • Portuguese: ardor — heat
  • Romanian: arșiță — heat
  • Romanian: ferbințeală — heat
  • Russian: жара́ (žará) — heat
  • Russian: зной (znoj) — heat
  • Russian: жар (žar) — heat
  • Spanish: ardor — heat
  • Ottoman Turkish: حرارت (hararet) — heat