Definition of perfervidnext

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
  • Malinin, at the post-skate press conference following his world title victory, made his thoughts known in a passionate plea to the ISU (International Skating Union).
    Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Fans are going to be passionate.
    Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • At Fox, Collier became known for his passional embrace of blockchain, NFTs and the whole Web3 space.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Nov. 2022
Adjective
  • In China, OpenClaw has received a particularly fervent welcome among AI enthusiasts and novices alike.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Fly the Flag of European Alliances Some European public broadcasters are fervent believers on Europe going it alone.
    Marta Balaga, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The Inn stays shut during winter and ‘pack ice’ season, which some locals will tell you is the most beautiful time of all—for snowmobiling and snowshoeing through the Island’s interior by day, and come evening, getting invited into someone's warm shed for a tipple and a chat.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
  • In 2001, the couple, who did not have children, retired to Miami in search of warmer beaches.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • For the seventh year in a row, Walmart captured more money from Charlotte-area shoppers than any other grocery store, despite intense competition from local grocers like Harris Teeter and Food Lion.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Graves’ exit has sparked intense speculation about his potential successor to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across northern Missouri and touches Kansas City’s Northland.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Is this emotional state of particular interest to you?
    Nina Mesfin, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Security grows as the emotional Moon in your 2nd House of Production trines cheerful Jupiter in your 10th House of Gains.
    Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • His grandfather had been an ardent Zionist who, in 1975, sold his house, on Long Island, and moved to Beersheba, a city in southern Israel.
    Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Some of the silence is designed to amplify the missing, the previously ignored, the co-opted, the terrorized, the gaslighted, and excluded voices of the country’s most ardent supporters of a multiracial democracy.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Harmony and an enthusiastic attitude between soldiers are preferred and essential, especially in combat.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The clips have accumulated millions of views and many enthusiastic comments from Western audiences.
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Perfervid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perfervid. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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