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I've had the same reaction to that word, until I actually looked it up and it's more about you care about something so much you're willing to suffer for it. Soo... a little different than the colloquial version. I still dislike it and think it's overused, but am now slightly more comfortable if people describe me as "passionate".

"Passion" can be defined as "a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept": https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passion The point is that HR people mean "passion" to be you're highly motivated, or driven, to do it. Emotions don't necessarily come in to play the way you're suggesting.

That is not how HR people wouldn't want anyone to approach S/W development.

But it very much is a great way to approach S/W development - just not for corporate drones