Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zealous

/ˈzɛləs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English

Syllables
zeal-ous
IPA
/ˈzɛləs/
16
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-los Proto-Indo-European *yéh₂los Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos)bor. Latin zēlus Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Latin zēlōsusder. Middle English zelose English zealous From Middle English zelose, from Latin zēlōsus, from zēlus + -ōsus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”), from ζηλόω (zēlóō, “to emulate, to be jealous”). By surface analysis, zeal + -ous. Doublet of jealous.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: zelose, zēlōsus, ζῆλος

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈzɛləs/
  • British English: /ˈzɛləs/

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce zealous?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈzɛləs/.
What does zealous mean?
Full of zeal; ardent, fervent; exhibiting enthusiasm or strong passion, particularly in matters of religion.
Where does zealous come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce zealous

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “zealous”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈzɛləs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “zealous”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “zealous” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.