Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Capable of, having, or dominated by powerful emotions.
  • adjective Wrathful by temperament; choleric.
  • adjective Marked by strong sexual desire; amorous or lustful.
  • adjective Showing or expressing strong emotion; ardent.
  • adjective Arising from or marked by passion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To affect with passion; move to anger, hate, love, etc.
  • To portray with natural emotion or passion; personate.
  • Characterized by passion; exhibiting or expressing passion.
  • Showing or exciting strong emotion; highly excited; vehement; warm.
  • Swayed by love; consumed with passion.
  • (d ) Emotional; susceptible.
  • (e ) Changeful; capricious; of many moods.
  • (f ) Compassionate.
  • (g ) Sorrowful; pitiful.
  • Synonyms Irritable, etc. (see irascible), hot-headed, hot, fiery, violent, choleric.
  • Impassioned, ardent, fervent, glowing, burning, impetuous.
  • noun One who is strongly moved by passion, especially the passion of love.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Capable or susceptible of passion, or of different passions; easily moved, excited or agitated; specifically, easily moved to anger; irascible; quick-tempered.
  • adjective Characterized by passion; expressing passion; ardent in feeling or desire; vehement; warm.
  • adjective obsolete Suffering; sorrowful.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To affect with passion; to impassion.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To express feelingly or sorrowfully.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Given to strong feeling, sometimes romantic and/or sexual.
  • adjective Fired with intense feeling; ardent, blazing, burning.
  • noun A passionate individual.
  • verb obsolete To fill with passion, or with another given emotion.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having or expressing strong emotions

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Medieval Latin passionatus, past participle of passionare ("to be affected with passion"); see passion.

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Examples

  • You don't hear the term passionate conservative much anymore.

    CNN Transcript Dec 15, 2009 2009

  • Meanwhile, Mr. Christie is taking the same tact in what he described as a "passionate" relationship with Mr. Sweeney, who has the power to single-handedly block bills.

    Christie, Sweeney in Standoff Over Funds Lisa Fleisher 2011

  • XAYKAOTHAO: Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.

    Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? 2010

  • XAYKAOTHAO: Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.

    Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? 2010

  • XAYKAOTHAO: Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.

    Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? 2010

  • XAYKAOTHAO: Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.

    Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? 2010

  • XAYKAOTHAO: Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.

    Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? 2010

  • XAYKAOTHAO: Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.

    Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? 2010

  • XAYKAOTHAO: Pastor Suh says Gomes and Park may have been drawn to the North because of what he described as passionate prayers by defectors now living in the South, many of whom attend their small church.

    Why Did Aijalon Gomes Cross Into North Korea? 2010

  • I also asked her if it wasn't really the responsibility of what she called the passionate majority within this religion to make their voices heard and she agreed with that.

    CNN Transcript Nov 28, 2006 2006

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