avid

avid — adjective

1. showing strong, lasting passion for a hobby, sport, or subject — used to describ

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

showing strong, lasting passion for a hobby, sport, or subject — used to describe someone who pursues that interest often and with great energy.

Example

Aunt Marisol is an avid gardener and spends every weekend in her vegetable patch.

avid + noun naming a hobbyist

The new mayor is an avid reader of detective novels and crime histories.

avid reader of + topic

Common collocations
  • avid reader
  • avid fan
  • avid collector
  • avid supporter
  • avid gardener
  • avid follower
Synonyms
  • keen

    more everyday in British English; 'keen reader' is gentler than 'avid reader'

  • enthusiastic

    broader; can describe a single occasion, while 'avid' implies a long-running passion

  • devoted

    stresses loyalty; 'devoted fan' suggests emotional commitment more than active pursuit

  • passionate

    stronger feeling word; works after 'be about', whereas 'avid' prefers the noun slot

Antonyms
  • indifferent

    showing no interest at all

  • casual

    as in 'casual reader' — occasional rather than committed

Grammar Patterns

avid + noun (e.g. avid reader, avid fan)

Usage Note

Almost always sits before a noun naming the person and their interest (avid reader, avid cyclist, avid fan). Rarely used after the verb 'be' on its own — say 'She is an avid hiker', not 'She is avid'.

Common Mistakes

My brother is very avid about football.
My brother is an avid football fan.
'avid' normally goes before a noun describing the hobbyist, not after 'be' with a preposition.

2. extremely hungry to get hold of something specific, such as news, attention, or

2.adjectiveC2
Definition

extremely hungry to get hold of something specific, such as news, attention, or money, sometimes to a degree that seems greedy.

Example

Reporters crowded the courtroom, avid for any new detail about the trial.

avid for + abstract noun (information)

The young actor was avid for praise and read every review out loud.

avid for praise / attention

Common collocations
  • avid for news
  • avid for power
  • avid for praise
  • avid for attention
  • avid for information
Synonyms
  • eager

    neutral and far more common; lacks the slightly greedy tone

  • hungry

    informal version of the same idea: 'hungry for praise'

  • greedy

    stronger and clearly negative; 'avid for' only hints at greed

  • thirsty

    metaphorical, often poetic: 'thirsty for revenge'

Antonyms
  • uninterested

    not wanting the thing at all

  • content

    satisfied with what one already has, not seeking more

Grammar Patterns

avid for + noun

Usage Note

This sense always uses the structure 'avid for + noun', whereas sense 1 uses 'avid + noun'. The object of 'for' is usually abstract (news, fame, power, money) and the tone can carry a hint of greed, especially when the object is power or wealth.

Common Mistakes

The crowd was avid of news.
The crowd was avid for news.
only the preposition 'for' works in this pattern.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe people who care about an activity, but they place the camera differently. 'Keen' is the everyday British choice and feels gentle: 'a keen runner' simply runs often. 'Enthusiastic' covers any moment of liveliness, even a single afternoon, so it does not promise long-term commitment. 'Passionate' raises the emotional temperature and usually pairs with 'about': 'passionate about jazz'. 'Devoted' shifts the focus to loyalty rather than activity — a devoted fan may rarely play the sport but will never switch teams. 'Avid' sits between 'keen' and 'passionate': it tells the reader the person both feels strongly and acts on that feeling regularly, which is why 'avid reader' and 'avid hiker' are so natural in news writing.

avid ↗keen ↗enthusiastic ↗passionate ↗devoted ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • an avid interest in
  • avid pursuit of

Prepositions

  • avid for

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

English borrowed 'avid' from French in the early 1700s, and French had taken it from the Latin adjective 'avidus', meaning 'longing' or 'craving'. 'Avidus' came from the verb 'avere', 'to crave or desire'. The same Latin root sits behind the English word 'avarice', which is why 'avid' can still carry a slight whiff of greed in its older 'avid for' use.