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Synonym Chooser

How is the word avid distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of avid are anxious, athirst, eager, and keen. While all these words mean "moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest," avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed.

avid for new thrills

When might anxious be a better fit than avid?

Although the words anxious and avid have much in common, anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment.

anxious not to make a social blunder

Where would athirst be a reasonable alternative to avid?

The meanings of athirst and avid largely overlap; however, athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action.

athirst for adventure

When could eager be used to replace avid?

While in some cases nearly identical to avid, eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint.

eager to get started

When is it sensible to use keen instead of avid?

The synonyms keen and avid are sometimes interchangeable, but keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action.

keen on the latest fashions

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of avid For avid couponers and savvy savers, Amazon’s Black Friday sale can feel like an Olympic event. Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2024 The crew includes Chun Wang of Malta, an entrepreneur who made a fortune in cryptocurrency and an avid adventurer. Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2024 His genial, almost bumbling, demeanor belies a quick brain and an avid user of technology. Patrick Frater, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024 The time of breakup is considered the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and avid bettors use all kinds of homespun algorithms to predict the time of breakup, incorporating such data as annual snowfall, temperature patterns, and even train schedules. Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 7 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for avid 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avid
Adjective
  • As Halloween draws near, excitement builds for children eager to trick-or-treat.
    Sarah Darby, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
  • Since then, the cut has remained a favorite, and clearly British fans are still eager to buy the composition.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Perhaps no one was more excited than her son, Michael, who danced in front of her during her 3-minute speech.
    Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
  • The 12-year-old started poking fun at his little brother for being so excited about his new bed.
    Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • His skin, a greedy shade of brown, seems to eat up all the light.
    Essence, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Like Kato and Sunja’s margarita date last week, this is another small moment that moves as much, if not more, than any of the larger emotional gestures in the show — some pleasures are immune to misery’s greedy hands.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • In between stops on her Eras tour, Swift has made headlines for her game-day outfits and her enthusiastic support of her man—and has boosted visibility for NFL in the process.
    Glamour, Glamour, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Meanwhile, polls suggest that Democrats are more enthusiastic about the election than Republicans, which could give Harris an edge in turnout.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • The fourth season of Apple TV+’s Slow Horses concludes with a big ol’ reveal: Frank Harkness, the rogue intelligence operative our titular bargain-bin agents have been chasing the whole time, isn’t just the head of a mercenary cabal staffed with men he’s brainwashed since childhood.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
  • While the case was first opened in 2020, when Google blocked channels that then belonged to Wagner Group mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, it was expanded when YouTube banned further channels after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
    David Hodari, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Rogan announced his backing of Trump, coming a day before Election Day on Nov. 5, in posting an impromptu episode of podcast with Elon Musk, the mega-billionaire and ardent Trump supporter.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Lawmakers from high-tax states — including Republicans — have made clear their ardent devotion to the cause of restoring the deduction.
    Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Stalin’s apprenticeship in high-stakes diplomacy had shown him to be cunning but also opportunistic, avaricious, obdurate.
    Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2017
  • Few places in the U.S. are more fraught with unresolved tension than South Dakota’s Black Hills, land stolen from the Sioux after treaties had been signed in order for avaricious Americans to pursue gold.
    Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 7 July 2024
Adjective
  • Assembling the clues like a puzzle King Richard's skeleton was already capturing the attention of experts keen to uncover its secrets, starting with a professor who had done a craniofacial reconstruction — meaning his entire face had been digitally mapped.
    Patrick Wood, NPR, 29 Nov. 2024
  • With his hands in so many different areas now, Wylde is clear on the importance of casting a keen eye upon the business side.
    Jim Ryan, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near avid

Cite this Entry

“Avid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avid. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

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