verbverb

apasionar

to be passionate about · thrill · enthrall

Definition & meaning

Apasionar means to excite someone’s passion, to captivate, or to inspire intense interest. It can describe something that someone feels strongly enthusiastic about: Me apasiona la música means “I’m passionate about music” or “Music fascinates me.”

In its reflexive form, apasionarse means to become passionate or deeply involved in something.

Grammar & word origin

Apasionar is a regular -ar verb, formed from pasión (“passion”) with the verb-forming ending -ar. It is commonly used with an indirect object pronoun, as in Me apasiona el arte (“I’m passionate about art”). In this construction, the thing that inspires passion is the grammatical subject.

The reflexive form is often followed by por : Se apasionó por la historia (“They became passionate about history”).

Synonyms & antonyms

Fascinar means “to fascinate”; it is close in meaning, but can describe strong interest without the same sense of passion.
Entusiasmar means “to excite” or “to enthuse”; it often emphasizes enthusiasm or excitement.
Cautivar means “to captivate” or “to charm”; it emphasizes holding someone’s attention.
Aburrir (“to bore”) can be an opposite when something fails to interest someone.
Desinteresar (“to make someone lose interest”) is an opposite in the sense of reducing someone’s interest.