Make Your Point: AVID

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pronounce AVID:

AV id

connect this word to others:

The word avid has a positive, exciting tone. You can hear the joy in someone's voice when they call themselves an avid reader, an avid softball fan, or an avid collector of model trains.

But the tone is totally different for the closely related word ava____ous, meaning "eager or greedy in a cruel, selfish way"—even though both avid and ava____ous trace to the same Latin verb: avere, meaning "to crave, to long for, to be eager for." I guess ava____ous followed the path of the dark side, while avid followed the light.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "avid" traces back through French to the Latin avere, "to desire eagerly."

Since the late 1700s, we've used "avid" to describe people who are very eager for something and enthusiastic about it. If you're an avid reader, for example, then you take great joy and interest in reading.

That's the way we almost always use the word "avid" today. But it can also still mean "greedy," so if you describe people's eyes, faces, or facial expressions as avid, you probably mean they're greedy, focused on getting what they want.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "She's an avid Bucs fan;" "He's an avid Wikipedia user."

Other forms:

The adverb is "avidly," as in "She watches the Bucs games avidly."

And the noun is "avidity," as in "He reads through the Wikipedia citations with avidity."

how to use it:

Pick the formal, common word "avid" when you want to strike a positive tone as you describe someone's passionate interest in some activity, hobby, or other pursuit.

Talk about someone being an avid fan, follower, supporter, or user of something. For example, I'm an avid user of Google Keep; I just love using that app to take tons of detailed notes on everything.

Or, say that someone is an avid doer of some kind, such as an avid reader, an avid dancer, an avid traveler, or an avid player of Scrabble.

examples:

"Curly and his wife were avid movie fans."
— Carl Hiaasen, Hoot, 2002

"He is an avid bicyclist, which he credits for promoting lung capacity and breath control."
— Becky Yerak, Wall Street Journal, 3 May 2026

has this page helped you understand "avid"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

study it:

Explain the meaning of "avid" without saying "devoted" or "zealous."

try it out:

What are you an avid follower of? Or, what kind of avid doer are you? (An avid gardener? An avid rock climber? An avid journaler?)

Talk about something you follow or do avidly. What about it brings you so much joy and excitement?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is Subject Line Matching!

Try matching each capitalized term below with the email subject line that I used to introduce it. For an extra challenge, try recalling what each term means and how the subject line connects to it.

Try these today:

AMNESTY: _____________
PENTIMENTO: _____________
PETRICHOR: _____________
SALVO: _____________
SPRACHGEFÜHL: _____________

Conditions apply. See czar for details
Han shot first
the afreshmaker
we can't even English right now
yes, we can smell what the rock is cooking

To see the correct answers, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. A near opposite of AVID is

A. ZEALOUS.
B. PERCEPTIVE.
C. INDIFFERENT.

2. Betty Smith wrote in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn that a character "was nineteen and avid for life," meaning he _____.

A. was eager for all that life could offer
B. was perpetually targeted by the police
C. was constantly falling in love with someone

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > AVID

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