passion Hear it!

passion Definition

pas·sion (pas̸h′ən)

noun

    1. Archaic suffering or agony, as of a martyr
    2. Now Rare an account of this
    1. the sufferings of Jesus, beginning with his agony in the garden of Gethsemane and continuing to his death on the Cross
    2. any of the Gospel narratives of Jesus' Passion and of accompanying events
    3. an artistic work, as an oratorio or a play, based on these narratives
    1. any one of the emotions, as hate, grief, love, fear, joy, etc.
    2. all such emotions collectively
  4. extreme, compelling emotion; intense emotional drive or excitement; specif.,
    1. great anger; rage; fury
    2. enthusiasm or fondness a passion for music
    3. strong love or affection
    4. sexual drive or desire; lust
  5. the object of any strong desire or fondness
  6. Obsolete the condition of being acted upon, esp. by outside influences

Etymology: OFr < LL(Ec) passio, a suffering, esp. that of Christ (< L passus, pp. of pati, to endure < IE base *pē-, to harm > Gr pēma, destruction, L paene, scarcely): transl. of Gr pathos: see pathos

passion Synonyms

passion

n.

  1. Sexual desire

    lust, craving, appetite, amorousness, concupiscence, sexual excitement; see also desire 3.

  2. Strong emotion

    emotion, feeling, ardor, outburst, intensity; see also anger, emotion, enthusiasm 1, love 1. See syn. study at enthusiasm, feeling.

passion Law Definition

See heat of passion.

passion Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • arouse: Who would have thought Cranford would have aroused such passions?
  • inflame: The arrival of handsome river gypsy Johnny Depp further inflames passions.
  • ignite: The opportunities are endless but one thing's for sure Florida will fire your imagination and ignite a life-long passion for this thrilling destination.
  • indulge: And to indulge a passion for The Magnetic Fields '69 Love Songs, my favorite album.
  • instill: The company's approach is to instill passion toward continual improvement in its clients by recognizing what is truly achievable.

Adjective modifier

  • lifelong: URI CAINE - Uri Caine is an acclaimed jazz pianist with a lifelong passion for the music of Mahler.
  • life-long: A life-long passion for painting oils of faces, the artist also paints still life and landscapes.
  • unbridled: Ask the Dust A story of forbidden love and unbridled passion based on John Fante's novel.
  • all-consuming: For many, love of the world of film can be an all-consuming passion.
  • abiding: Here we meet the essential Richard Dawkins: inspirational in both his unswerving attention to rationalism and his abiding passions.
  • genuine: He brings invaluable retail experience as well as enormous energy and a genuine passion for the books.

Modifies a noun

  • fruit: They are a good partner for lightly fried bananas and passion fruit.
  • narrative: Victorians published lots of biographies of Jesus which sought to explain the passion narratives in a rational way.
  • flower: Note the passion flower motif on the purple stole.

Noun used with modifier

  • consuming: People are compelled to the meeting of needs and it's a consuming passion and they never get their needs met.
  • burning: The defeat of Johnson by a 'Great White Hope ' became a burning passion.
  • ruling: In passing through the little village of Dobcross I observed a quaint tavern sign, illustrative of the ruling passion.

Preposition: of

mine: This is just of a personal passion of mine.

Preposition: for

  • gardening: Gardening With Kids Help children develop a lifetime passion for gardening by starting them young.
  • photography: The photographer is now devoting more time to his master class courses, where the only entry qualification is a passion for photography.