enthusiast

noun

en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈthü-zē-ˌast How to pronounce enthusiast (audio)
-əst,
en-,
 also  -ˈthyü-
: a person filled with enthusiasm: such as
a
: one who is ardently attached to a cause, object, or pursuit
a sports car enthusiast
b
: one who tends to become ardently absorbed in an interest

Examples of enthusiast in a Sentence

skiing enthusiasts can't wait for the first snowfall of the season
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This motorcycle gave young enthusiasts a taste of the open road. Angela Andaloro, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025 For example, a freelance yoga instructor looking to scale their business could use an AI agent like Jasper AI to generate Instagram captions, blog posts, and newsletters—in their unique voice and tailored to wellness and fitness enthusiasts. Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 Crypto enthusiasts believe the answer to that question is yes. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025 However, with high prices and their resulting complaints from enthusiasts having plagued its graphics cards for a number of generations and recent supply issues with its RTX 50-series exacerbating the problem, the door is open for the competition to strike a blow. Antony Leather, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for enthusiast

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "person claiming to receive divine communication or inspiration, member of a putative early Christian sect making such claims," borrowed from Late Greek enthousiastḗs, going back to Greek, "person possessed by a god," from enthousiad-, stem of enthousiázein "to be inspired or possessed by a god" + -tēs, agent suffix — more at enthusiasm

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of enthusiast was in 1748

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enthusiast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enthusiast. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

enthusiast

noun
en·​thu·​si·​ast in-ˈth(y)ü-zē-ˌast How to pronounce enthusiast (audio)
-əst
: a person filled with enthusiasm

More from Merriam-Webster on enthusiast

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!