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throes of passion

throes of passion

1 7.8
Very strong feelings of love or desire that you cannot control
  • noun
  • NSFW
translation icon : éxtasis
  • "I never allow myself to be in the throes of passion unless she's incapacitated and I'm wearing a rubber."

It should be spontaneous and you should just be in the throes of passion and nothing is stopping you.

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Examples

  • In less than a quarter of an hour, I was deeply in the throes of passion.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • They were lost in the throes of passion, completely oblivious to the world around them.

  • Yeah, but we were, like, in the throes of passion then, and...

  • In the throes of passion, who gives the most?

  • I can barely speak during the throes of passion.

  • I don't think it's fair to take something I said in the throes of passion and rub my face in it.

  • It should be spontaneous and you should just be in the throes of passion and nothing is stopping you.

  • Listen, sweetheart, you shouldn't listen to what a woman says when she's in the throes of passion.

  • It haunts Ambrose when he is in the throes of passion and he feels alienated from himself.

  • (Male otters are very aggressive and have been known to inflict fatal wounds or drown their mates in the throes of passion.)

    Blog text (14)

Synonyms

passion
vsthroes of passion
  • NSFW
81 3.3

A very strong sexual desire or attraction to someone

is more overwhelming and hard to control than that desire
fervor
vsthroes of passion
  • US
34 6.3

A strong, excited belief in a cause or idea

is specifically overwhelming romantic desire rather than general enthusiasm
infatuation
vsthroes of passion
20 5.1

A strong short feeling of attraction that is not true love

is deeper and more overwhelming rather than brief and unreasonable
fever pitch
vsthroes of passion
  • Informal
8 5.3

A time when people feel very strong excitement together

is a deep consuming state of love rather than general excitement
ardor
vsthroes of passion
  • US
7 7.5

A strong feeling of love and excitement for someone or something

is more about uncontrollable desire and overwhelming emotion
flood of emotion
vsthroes of passion
1 3.6

A sudden strong feeling that is hard to control

is a sustained intense state rather than a single outpouring
great fervor
vsthroes of passion
1 5.9

A very strong, excited feeling that makes people act

is more about powerful love and desire than general enthusiasm
fervency
vsthroes of passion
1 8.0

A strong, deep feeling that makes someone excited or eager

is more sexually charged and overwhelming than that warm enthusiasm
heated moment
vsthroes of passion
1 4.9

A short time when people feel strong emotion and say or do things without thinking

is a longer consuming emotional state rather than a short episode
state of excitement
vsthroes of passion
1 3.1

A strong feeling of joy and energy that makes you unable to sit still

is specifically intense romantic desire and overwhelming feeling not just excitement
erotic love
vsthroes of passion
  • NSFW
6.8

A strong feeling of sexual desire and attraction for another person

is broader and more uncontrollable than that sexual attraction
unsmotherable passion
vsthroes of passion
  • Literature
8.8

A very strong desire you cannot stop or control

is an overwhelming state that is hard to stop
tempestuousness
vsthroes of passion
9.9

A strong, stormy feeling that causes sudden emotional change

is more focused on love and desire than general turbulence
tidal wave of emotions
vsthroes of passion
6.0

A sudden very strong feeling that you cannot control

is an ongoing overwhelming state rather than one sudden surge
fervidness
vsthroes of passion
9.0

A very strong feeling of great interest and excitement for something

is a more overwhelming romantic desire rather than general zeal
ardency
vsthroes of passion
  • Literature
9.2

A strong feeling of passion or a sense of burning heat in writing

is more specifically overwhelming romantic desire than general heat
enamoredness
vsthroes of passion
  • US
9.6

A strong feeling of love or great liking for people and things such as art and music

is more overwhelming and consuming than simple deep fondness
sublime passion
vsthroes of passion
  • Literature
7.7

A very strong feeling of admiration and excitement that inspires wonder

is more raw sexual desire and overwhelming emotion than lofty admiration
passionateness
vsthroes of passion
  • Archaic
7.1

Strong feelings that make someone act with great energy and care

is a specific intense state of desire rather than the general quality
fire in someone's heart
vsthroes of passion
6.1

A strong inner feeling that makes someone want to do something

is focused on overwhelming romantic desire rather than inner motivation
slow-burning passion
vsthroes of passion
5.9

A strong feeling of love or interest that grows slowly

is sudden and overwhelming rather than slowly building over time

Antonyms

71 4.6

Lack of interest or concern about something

43 6.2

A lack of interest or care about things

How Passionate

throes of passion
  • NSFW
1 7.8
ardor
  • US
7 7.5
passion
463 2.5
infatuation
4 4.9
attraction
  • Specialized
96 2.8
to interest
206 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

throe + of + passion

The phrase is compositionally built: 'throe' denotes an intense spasm/agonizing episode and 'passion' denotes intense desire, so 'throes of passion' straightforwardly means intense, overwhelming episodes of passion. The 'throes of X' pattern is a regular, cross-linguistic construction, so a learner who knows both constituents can predict the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Throes of passion comes from an older use of throes to mean violent physical struggles or sudden strong movements. Picture someone being physically shaken by desire—the image of being caught in those throes of passion is why the phrase means 'intense, overwhelming love or desire'.