What does fervent mean?
Word: Fervent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Fervent means having or showing very strong and sincere feelings about something.
Synonyms: passionate, keen
Antonyms: half-hearted
Word origin: From Latin fervent-, a form of the verb fervere, through Old French.
How do you spell fervent?
Syllables: fer - vent
Tricky part: The ending is ent, not ant: fervant is a common slip because the last vowel is weak.
Watch out for: fervant, fervint, fervente
Memory tip: Picture fervent fans at a big sports event: fervent and event end with the same three letters.
Fervent in a sentence
Example 1: Yuki made a fervent appeal to her classmates to keep the school garden free of plastic.
Example 2: The crowd at Eden Gardens gave the home team fervent support right to the last ball.
Example 3: Grandpa is a fervent believer in a morning walk, whatever the weather.
Fun Fact
The noun from fervent is fervour, spelt with ou in British English and fervor in American English.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Fervent comes from the Latin verb fervere. What did fervere mean?
a) to fly or soar
b) to boil or glow
c) to sing or chant
d) to wait or rest
Show answer
b) to boil or glow. Fervere meant to boil, so a fervent feeling is one that seems to bubble with heat.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) servant
b) ferment
c) fervour
d) furvent
Show answer
d) furvent. The first syllable is fer, as in ferment, even though it sounds like the fur of a cat.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with words of similar meaning:
1. fervent 2. frugal 3. candid a. thrifty b. ardent c. frank
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. Fervent and ardent both mean full of strong feeling; frugal matches thrifty and candid matches frank.
Spell Probe
One word in the sentence is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
The school choir sang with fervent devotion, and the whole hall fell silent during the final peice.
a) showing strong and sincere feeling
b) deep love and loyalty to a person or cause
c) a single work of music or art
d) a group of people who sing together
Show answer
c) a single work of music or art. Piece puts i before e, so peice is wrong; here it means one item of music.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Daniel is a fervent supporter of the local football club. What is he most probably like?
a) he has forgotten the club's name
b) he has no interest in sport
c) he supports a rival club
d) he never misses a home match
Show answer
d) he never misses a home match
2. Which phrase is the opposite of 'a fervent supporter'?
a) an indifferent onlooker
b) an eager fan
c) a loyal follower
d) a devoted admirer
Show answer
a) an indifferent onlooker
