What does "passion" mean?
A true desire sustained or prolonged.
Passion
/ˈpæʃən/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A true desire sustained or prolonged.
- Grammar: passion is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abandon, ache, aching, admiration.
- Useful contrasts: apathy, detachment, disinterest.
- Usage evidence: To share one's passion is to live it fully.
How to use "passion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "passion" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "passion" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "passion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "passion" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "passion" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abandon" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "passion", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A true desire sustained or prolonged. countable, uncountable
"An oil lamp burned upon a high, old-fashioned mantel, casting its dim rays over a dozen repulsive figures. All but one were men. The other was a woman of about thirty. Her face, marked by low passions and dissipation, might once have been lovely."
- 2 the trait of being intensely emotional wordnet
- 3 Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or extreme hate. countable, uncountable
"We share a passion for books."
- 4 any object of warm affection or devotion wordnet
- 5 Fervor, determination. countable, uncountable
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 a strong feeling or emotion wordnet
- 7 An object of passionate or romantic love or strong romantic interest. countable, uncountable
"It started as a hobby, but now my motorbike collection has become my passion."
- 8 a feeling of strong sexual desire wordnet
- 9 Sexual intercourse, especially when very emotional. countable, uncountable
"We shared a night of passion."
- 10 an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action wordnet
- 11 The suffering of Jesus leading up to and during his crucifixion. capitalized, countable, uncountable, usually
"Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in all true chriſten people, aloue to continue in this vnitie, and afeare to be caſte out of the ſame, and it worketh in them that be ſinners and repentant, great comforte, and conſolacion, to obteine remiſſion of ſinne, by vertue of Chriſtes paſſion, and adminiſtracion of his ſacramentes at the miniſters handes, ordained for that purpoſe, [...]"
- 12 something that is desired intensely wordnet
- 13 A display, musical composition, or play meant to commemorate the suffering of Jesus. countable, uncountable
- 14 the suffering of Jesus at the Crucifixion wordnet
- 15 Suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"a cardiac passion"
- 16 The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition countable, obsolete, uncountable
"A Body at reſt affords us no Idea of any active Power to move; and when it is ſet in motion its ſelf, that Motion is rather a Paſſion, than an Action in it: [...]"
- 17 The capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The Differences of Impreſsible and Not Impreſsible; Figurable and Not Figurable; Mouldable and Not Mouldable; Sciſsile and Not Sciſsile; And many other Paſsions of Matter, are Plebeian Notions, applied vnto the Inſtruments and Vſes which Men ordinarily practiſe; [...]"
- 18 An innate attribute, property, or quality of a thing. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[...] to obtain the knowledge of some passion of the circle."
- 19 Disorder of the mind; madness. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The fit is momentary, vpon a thought / He will againe be well. If much you note him / You ſhall offend him, and extend his Paſſion, / Feed, and regard him not."
Verb
- 1 To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated. obsolete
"Dumbly she passions, frantically she doteth."
- 2 To give a passionate character to. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 The sufferings of Jesus Christ from the night of the Last Supper to the Crucifixion.
"Empty bread, empty mouths, combien réaction. Empty bread, empty mouths, talk about the Passion. Not everyone can carry the weight of the world. Not everyone can carry the weight of the world."
Example
"To share one's passion is to live it fully."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "passion"?
Common synonyms include: abandon, ache, aching, admiration, adoration, affect.
How do you use "passion" in a sentence?
To share one's passion is to live it fully.
How do you pronounce "passion"?
Pronounced /ˈpæʃən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- Proto-Italic *patosder.? Proto-Indo-European *pet-der.? Latin patior Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin passiōbor. Old English passion ▲ Latin passiōbor. Old French passionbor. Middle English passioun English passion From Middle English passioun, passion, from Old French passion (and in part from Old English passion), from Latin passio (“suffering”), noun of action from perfect passive participle passus (“suffered”), from deponent verb patior (“I suffer”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”), see also Old English fēond (“devil, enemy”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽 (faian, “to blame”).
Etymology 2
From Latin Passiō, a proper-noun use of passiō (“suffering”) (a sense of passion which is now obsolete or archaic in English).