passion

UK: 'passion', 'Passion': /ˈpæʃən/ US: /ˈpæʃən/ ,(pash′ən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

pas•sion /ˈpæʃən/   n. 

1. (an instance or an experience of) strong feeling:
   [uncountable] an actress of strong passion.
   [countable] Sometimes his passions got the better of him.
2. (an instance or an experience of) strong feeling of love:
   [uncountable] his overwhelming passion for her.
3. (an instance or feeling of) strong sexual desire;
   lust:
   [uncountable] Passion swept through them.
4. a strong fondness or desire for something:
   [countable* usually singular] a passion for music.

See -pass-².

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pas•sion  (pash′ən), n. 

1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. strong amorous feeling or desire;
   love;
   ardor.
3. strong sexual desire;
   lust.
4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.
5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.
6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything:
   a passion for music.
7. the object of such a fondness or desire:
   Accuracy became a passion with him.
8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling:
   He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words.
9. violent anger.
10. the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, esp. something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior (contrasted with action).
11. Religion (often cap.) [Theol.]
    • the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper.
    • the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels.
12. [Archaic.] the sufferings of a martyr.

• Medieval Latin passiōn- (stem of passiō) Christ's sufferings on the cross, any of the Biblical accounts of these ( late Old English passiōn), special use of Late Latin passiō suffering, submission, derivative of Latin passus, past participle of patī to suffer, submit; see -ion
• Old French)
• Middle English (1125–75

pas′sion•ful, adj. 
pas′sion•ful•ly, adv. 
pas′sion•ful•ness, n. 
pas′sion•like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. See feeling. 
• 6. fervor, zeal, ardor.
• 9. ire, fury, wrath, rage.

Antonyms

• 1. apathy.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

passion / ˈpæʃən/ noun

1. ardent love or affection
2. intense sexual love
3. a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object, concept, etc: a passion for poetry
4. any strongly felt emotion, such as love, hate, envy, etc
5. a state or outburst of extreme anger: she flew into a passion
6. the object of an intense desire, ardent affection, or enthusiasm
7. an outburst expressing intense emotion: he burst into a passion of sobs
8. the sufferings and death of a Christian martyr

Etymology: 12th Century: via French from Church Latin passiō suffering, from Latin patī to suffer

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Passion / ˈpæʃən/ noun

1. the sufferings of Christ from the Last Supper to his death on the cross
2. any of the four Gospel accounts of this
3. a musical setting of this: the St Matthew Passion