as in advantage
a quality that gives something special worth
the cardinal virtue of wool is that it retains its insulating properties even when wet
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Recent Examples of cardinal virtue
Aquinas also noted that each of these four cardinal virtues had several smaller virtues associated with them.
—
Andrew Abela, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Doubt is a cardinal virtue in the sciences, which advance through skeptics’ willingness to question the experts.
—Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2020
Breaching tennis’ cardinal virtues of self-sufficiency and autonomy, the coach begins by telling this emotional woman to calm down.
—Jon Wertheim, SI.com, 11 Apr. 2018
Dialogue is one of their cardinal virtues, and most seemed determined to give Trump a hearing.
—Time, 25 Jan. 2018
Andrew Abela, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
Doubt is a cardinal virtue in the sciences, which advance through skeptics’ willingness to question the experts.
—Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2020
Breaching tennis’ cardinal virtues of self-sufficiency and autonomy, the coach begins by telling this emotional woman to calm down.
—Jon Wertheim, SI.com, 11 Apr. 2018
Dialogue is one of their cardinal virtues, and most seemed determined to give Trump a hearing.
—Time, 25 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal virtue
Noun
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Sam Bennett, who scored twice in Florida’s Game 1 loss, capitalized on the man advantage with the game’s first goal.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
7 June 2025
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This pitching staff is getting slugged, rendering whatever advantage it’s created on swing-and-miss much less impactful.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Smallpox was officially declared eradicated by the WHO in October 1980, and is today still the only human disease to achieve this distinction.—
Time,
Time,
11 June 2025
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But, in many raids, agents seem to be making no distinction between criminal and civil immigration violations.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce,
New Yorker,
10 June 2025
Noun
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And as readers no doubt know by virtue of clicking on a review about a golf book, Johnson could have had so many more.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
Watching the actions of humans – their foibles and their virtues.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
2 June 2025
Noun
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And while the value of Red No. 3 itself may be up for debate, one thing is increasingly clear: To succeed in the modern economic and regulatory landscape, businesses need to be agile.—
Stephen DeAngelis,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Moreover, Mercury and Jupiter will enter Cancer, bringing an influx of emotional energy to your second house of stability, finances and values, which also shifts your focus in the process.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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As Sam from Cartwright points out, the trick is to get pension trustees to look beyond the polarizing debate and simply counsel to evaluate Bitcoin on its merits and the numbers.—
Roger Huang,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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That double standard, baked into permitting rules since the 1990s, declares that some lives merit protection while others do not.—
Colin Walkes,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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