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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 Residents who live near a fishing location, spend a lot of time near the water or are avid boaters are encouraged to get involved. Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 June 2025 The two men, both of whom are avid social media users, escalated rhetoric against each other. Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025 An upcoming lunar event is sure to catch the attention of avid sky-watchers. Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 June 2025 In a statement, Jackman described himself as an avid sailing fan (as well as a proud Aussie). Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for avid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avid
Adjective
  • Lively Feud: Lively Shares ‘Gratitude’ On Instagram After Baldoni’s Lawsuit Is Dismissed Globally, employees are eager to learn.
    Gary Drenik, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • The Dallas phone company had taken a blood-bath in its four-year foray into entertainment and was eager to exit.
    Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • That had Vidovic excited about placing this team at the top of the state’s history list.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
  • Kids might be excited about the end of the school year and for summer to begin, but many working parents who don’t know how to fill their kids’ long summer days may be feeling some dread right about now.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • Are the companies somehow less greedy in other states?
    Ted Gaines, Oc Register, 28 May 2025
  • What the greedy developers are trying to do burns me to no end.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • Aside from honoring the tenured in the game, the culture remains enthusiastic about who is next.
    Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • Trump is used to an enthusiastic crowd, but this was different: These men and women went against their union to support this deal.
    Salena Zito, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Russia’s shadowy Wagner private mercenary group's importance in the country is being questioned after three of its members were arrested in September and sent back to Moscow.
    Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
  • Her detailed analysis shows how the country’s restructuring under Putin provided fertile soil for Prigozhin to graduate from woman-strangling street thug to catering star and mercenary prodigy.
    Nicolas Niarchos, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • In the days after her speech, the young graduate has received nationwide media attention, along with a torrent of ardent support and biting criticism.
    Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 1 June 2025
  • Devoted Knicks fans Spike Lee and Ben Stiller sat beside the couple: Lee, of course one of the most ardent and drippiest of the legion of celebrity fans, wore an orange and blue striped blazer and pant set, with a matching bower hat.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 30 May 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
  • According to insiders, Ahuja still believes in Rothman and wasn’t keen on a big shake-up, not when the studio has momentum, is profitable and is about to undertake the ambitious and risky move of releasing all four of Sam Mendes’ Beatles films in April 2028.
    Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025
  • If her body isn’t always willing, her mind and her heart are still keen on the sport, so Press makes her most valuable contributions now in the quiet of the locker room.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025

Cite this Entry

“Avid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avid. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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