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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

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 avid But growing up in Minnesota, Vinny Cerrato was an avid hockey player himself who met famed coach Herb Brooks when the latter was coaching the Golden Gophers in the late 1970s. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 12 July 2025 Grant Horvat, the social phenom and avid golfer, posted a golf match video with Mickelson, squaring off against Bryson DeChambeau and Garrett Clark. Savannah Leigh Richardson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025 As avid travelers know, Away luggage recently became available at Amazon, and now, the rarely-ever-on-sale brand is sporting some big markdowns in honor of Prime Day. Genevieve Cepeda, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025 Both West and Fuentes were avid supporters of Trump who repeatedly had made antisemitic remarks. Josh Meyer, USA Today, 5 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for avid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avid
Adjective
  • As growth in the region has pushed west and commercial development has accelerated beyond Boise, Idaho’s second-largest city has added jobs, boosted wages and caught the eye of employers eager to set up shop in a central location and cut their workers’ commute times.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 14 July 2025
  • Applications for the program will open later this year and the government is optimistic about strong interest from those eager to capitalize on this opportunity.
    Panorama Media Ltd, Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Florida Republicans are enthusiastic about Alligator Alcatraz.
    Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2025
  • While the race will be held at the Naval Base Coronado, the city is enthusiastic to host a Nascar weekend.
    Joseph Wolkin, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • But the vast majority are cynical and greedy and scared of losing their jobs.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025
  • A far cry from the mild-mannered Peter Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Tully is an abusive, hot-headed, and greedy slime ball who leverages post-war desperation into a thriving criminal business.
    Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Our family couldn’t be more excited to welcome baby #3 soon!
    Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 26 July 2025
  • While some seemed excited about Buck's sudden appearance, some speculated about the possibility of Stephanopoulos leaving the show.
    Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • Discovered by the priest Ahk-Ton and molded into the glimmering Orb of Ra, this powerful cosmic relic would be discovered thousands of years later by mercenary archaeologist Rex Mason.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 12 July 2025
  • As mercenary Zora Bennett, Johansson leads a dangerous expedition in Jurassic World Rebirth, building a rapport with Bailey's character, super-smart paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis.
    Jen Juneau, People.com, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • By the end, even the most ardent England supporter had to have some sympathy with Italy.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 23 July 2025
  • Marjorie Taylor Greene—Georgia’s 14th District The firebrand Republican has been one of Trump’s most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill since her election in 2021.
    Nik Popli, Time, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • The comedy-drama follows a Gen Z content creator who returns to her ancestral home seeking viral material, only to encounter her deceased brother’s ghost while dealing with avaricious relatives.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Apr. 2025
  • This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.
    Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Joe, who has asthma, strongly opposes the implementation of mask mandates that Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) is keen to enforce.
    Barry Levitt, Time, 23 July 2025
  • Seeing as there are around the same number of companies keen to battle it out to make the show as there are squares on a Monopoly board, the process has been the talk of the unscripted business over the past week.
    Peter White, Deadline, 22 July 2025

Cite this Entry

“Avid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avid. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on avid

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