Definition of avidnext
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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 Richard Manoogian, a Detroit industrialist and avid art collector, died at 90 on Friday. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026 Like her father-in-law King Charles, Kate is an avid gardener. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026 Skunks are avid diggers than can cause significant damage around your home’s foundation. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026 Deutsch, an avid gardener, worked with Manscapers on the landscape design and opted for boxwoods, more evergreens and hydrangeas to frame each space of the outdoor area. — Matt Goulet, Architectural Digest, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for avid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avid
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, greedy architecture fans stole blocks as mementos while the house was unoccupied.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Her former research partner has absconded with her life’s work, presumably to put toward greedy human means of Manifest Destiny.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Another enthusiastic response at the summit came from Vermont, formerly home to the 650 MW Vermont-Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, which closed in 2014.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • But while an enthusiastic and wider-than-ever audience may be listening now, the Grammys have long appeared inured to such outside influence.
    — Leila Cobo, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The service Everyone on staff is friendly and eager to assist.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Data center builders, semiconductor companies, power providers and cybersecurity firms are far less constrained, according to Cramer, because lenders remain eager to finance their growth.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • More than 80% of Chinese felt excited about AI applications, KPMG reported last year; only half that percentage of Americans felt the same.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Many studies have found that children get excited about getting their own books in the mail, addressed to them personally.
    — Alex H. Poole, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • While his associate scans microfiche, Reacher gives the first of many, many, many unnamed mercenary characters the ol’ Giles Corey special.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Its leader, Sergei Mironov, 73, once gained headlines by posing with a symbol of brutality — a sledgehammer given to him by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late Wagner mercenary leader shortly before his failed 2023 mutiny.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Germany has been one of the most ardent supporters of Ukraine since the early days of the Russian invasion, supplying both military and financial aid.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Which one of these subtle, touching novels is guaranteed to live up to my ardent report?
    — Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Played by a Colman Domingo who is done up to look the most wax figurine of them all in a shellacking of makeup, prosthetics, and colored contacts, Joe is always either giving an avaricious open-mouthed leer or a cold-eyed glare.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
  • There’s a quasi-heist theme to The Christophers, which revolves around an acclaimed artist (McKellen), who has long since stopped making new work, and his avaricious children (Gunning and Corden) who try to enlist Coel to complete some of their dad’s unfinished paintings.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • That latest round of NFL-booth musical chairs has already seeded some decidedly dodgy ideas in the minds of our keenest sports-media types.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • At one point before its completion, Kanye West reportedly toured the active construction site, expressing a keen interest in purchasing the sprawling hillside complex.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Avid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avid. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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