Synonym Chooser

How is the word perfervid different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of perfervid are ardent, fervent, fervid, impassioned, and passionate. While all these words mean "showing intense feeling," perfervid implies the expression of exaggerated or overwrought feelings.

perfervid expressions of patriotism

When might ardent be a better fit than perfervid?

The words ardent and perfervid can be used in similar contexts, but ardent implies an intense degree of zeal, devotion, or enthusiasm.

an ardent supporter of human rights

In what contexts can fervent take the place of perfervid?

While in some cases nearly identical to perfervid, fervent stresses sincerity and steadiness of emotional warmth or zeal.

fervent good wishes

When can fervid be used instead of perfervid?

The words fervid and perfervid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fervid suggests warmly and spontaneously and often feverishly expressed emotion.

fervid love letters

When would impassioned be a good substitute for perfervid?

The synonyms impassioned and perfervid are sometimes interchangeable, but impassioned implies warmth and intensity without violence and suggests fluent verbal expression.

an impassioned plea for justice

When is it sensible to use passionate instead of perfervid?

While the synonyms passionate and perfervid are close in meaning, passionate implies great vehemence and often violence and wasteful diffusion of emotion.

a passionate denunciation

Example 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 perfervid The scant paintings on view reverse an emphasis on figurative imagery in the 2019 Biennial, tilting toward a lately prevalent revival of abstraction in perfervid styles that have yet to demonstrate staying power. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2022 This latest controversy won’t dent Thomas’s formidable reputation as a jurist, but it’s another mark against his perfervid critics who have no decency. Rich Lowry, National Review, 1 Apr. 2022 So why, with all this perfervid material at her disposal, did the director, Haifaa Al-Mansour, and her co-screenwriter, Emma Jensen, opt for such cautiousness? Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 May 2018 Down south near San Diego, gray-faced children toil in a slave-labor camp that Dickens could not have imagined in his most perfervid dreams. Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 4 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perfervid
Adjective
  • Start taking a closer look at sports that might be considered new but have passionate competitors and advocates.
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Leave it to my grandfather—and Southern Living editors—to have passionate opinions about this classic sweet.
    Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The academy has many fervent supporters but also critics.
    Jan Hoffman, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
  • Gibson, Stallone, and Voight have all been fervent Trump supporters.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • DeSantis’ best choice would have been to appoint a caretaker in Rubio’s place, someone content to keep the seat warm until the next election.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Also in the Big Apple, Olivia Rodrigo and her beau Louis Partridge try to keep warm in the chilly weather as Ben Stiller promotes Severance season 2.
    Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The single performs even better on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, which is compiled in the same way as the Rock Digital Song Sales list, only the focus is exclusively on the more intense, harder style of the genre.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
  • The Chiefs tallied another three points from Butker as both defenses were noticeably intense and solid as the first quarter ended 6-3 Kansas City.
    Kevin Dotson, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • These intelligent and emotional animals have been a part of human culture for centuries—as companions, workers and performers.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
  • People feel abandoned or unprepared, amplifying the emotional toll.
    John Hope Bryant, TIME, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The £150 price tag has raised eyebrows even among ardent Lush fans on forums such as the 115k-member r/LushCosmetics subreddit.
    Victoria Turk, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025
  • His administration appointees are also ardent supporters of Israel who have openly questioned Palestinians’ right to sovereignty.
    Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • For the past five seasons, the 2018 first-round draft pick has breathed new life into this franchise and its enthusiastic, table-crushing fanbase.
    Becky Sullivan, NPR, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Right-leaning publications, meanwhile, suggested that the enthusiastic attention paid to Sweeney’s breasts had everything to do with the shifting political climate.
    Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Bert Smith, a classical archaeologist at Oxford University, told the New York Times that the statue was probably made for religious purposes.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 27 Jan. 2025
  • Apocalyptic thinking fuelled the Crusades, stoked the English Civil Wars, and gave rise to seventeenth-century religious movements like the Fifth Monarchists.
    Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near perfervid

Cite this Entry

“Perfervid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfervid. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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!