Zealous vs Importunate - What's the difference?
zealous | importunate | Related terms |
Full of zeal; ardent, fervent; exhibiting enthusiasm or strong passion.
* 1791 , , volume 1, page 238:
* 1896 , , A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (2004 edition), page 122:
* 1940 , Foster Rhea Dulles, America Learns to Play: A history of popular recreation, 1607-1940 , page 61:
* 2011 April 4, "
Of a demand: persistent or pressing, often annoyingly so.
Of a person: given to importunate demands, greedily or thoughtlessly demanding.
(rare) To importune, or to obtain by importunity.
* 1581 June 23, Thomas Churchyard, letter to Sir Christopher Hatton, in Sir Harris Nicolas (editor), Memoirs of the Life and Times of Sir Christopher Hatton, K.G. , Richard Bentley (publisher, 1847),
* 1847 December 18, N. Roussel, “Spiritual Destitution of Paris.—Appeal to British Christians”, in Evangelical Christendom: Its State and Prospects , Volume II (1848), Partridge and Oakey,
* 1910 July, David Leslie Brown, “The Need of To-day”, in , Volume 25, Southern Pacific Company,
Zealous is a related term of importunate.
As adjectives the difference between zealous and importunate
is that zealous is full of zeal; ardent, fervent; exhibiting enthusiasm or strong passion while importunate is of a demand: persistent or pressing, often annoyingly so.As a verb importunate is
(rare) to importune, or to obtain by importunity.zealous
English
Alternative forms
* zelousAdjective
(en adjective)- Johnson was truly zealous for the success of "The Adventurer;" and very soon after his engaging in it, he wrote the following letter:
- Doubtless many will exclaim against the Roman Catholic Church for this; but the simple truth is that Protestantism was no less zealous against the new scientific doctrine.
- and there were few more zealous dancers at the fashionable balls in the Raleigh Tavern at Williamsburg.
Newt Gingrich," Time (retrieved 9 Sept 2013):
- Newt Gingrich . . . left Congress in 1998, following GOP midterm-election losses that many blamed on his zealous pursuit of Bill Clinton's impeachment.
Synonyms
* (full of zeal) ardent, eager, enthusiastic, fervent, passionate, zealoticAntonyms
* (full of zeal) apathetic, dispassionate, indifferent, unenthusiasticDerived terms
* overzealous * zealously * zealousnessimportunate
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl)Adjective
(en adjective)Etymology 2
From (etyl)Verb
(importunat)page 173:
- All which notwithstanding, I obtained licence at length to make my supplication to the noble Parliament house; but I could find no messengers till Sir John Seton went, whom I importunated daily to obtain me favor for my return home again.
page 43:
- Is my work ended? The fear of importunating my friends answers, “Yes.”
reverse of frontispiece:
- It is the concrete that impresses, that importunates until it influences—in writing as in everything else.