Words / C2

FURV-uh-nt/ˈfɜːvənt/

Fervent means showing strong, sincere feeling: fervent hope, a fervent believer. Passionate and keen are everyday; fervour is the noun (British spelling). Fervid is a rarer twin. Do not award fervent to a logo loyalty that skips the fire door.

Meaning

Showing strong, sincere feeling.

Examples

• “Fervent loyalty to a logo does not close a fire-door minute.”
• “Passionate is everyday. Zealous (already in the dictionary) can overdo it. Fervour is the noun. Fever is illness. Sincerity without a date is still a gap in the minutes.”

Good to know

Intensely sincere. Everyday: passionate. Noun: fervour. Cousin: zealous (can overdo it). Feeling ≠ a completed action.

Near in meaning

passionate

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