élan

noun

Definition of élannext
as in zeal

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of élan Schwartzman, though, is comic gold as an inappropriate inlaw while Sessa brightens things up as a broken-hearted sop who insinuates himself with all the elan of a Lab puppy into the neighbor’s next door household. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025 Khrushchev sought to revive revolutionary elan and push the USSR to the final stage of history, the transition from socialism to communism, during which the state apparatus would finally wither away. — Benjamin Nathans september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025 The rule at these gatherings is to move with a semblance of elan. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 16 May 2025 Rice’s second was struck with such elan that even a gargantuan goalkeeper of Thibaut Courtois’ stature and reach could not get anywhere near. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for élan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for élan
  1. zeal
  2. fervor
  3. verve
  4. brio
  5. gusto
  6. vigor
  7. ardor
  8. vitality
Noun
  • Perhaps my zeal to reiterate my distrust of the Dubs’ front office has blinded me to their behind-the-scenes brilliance.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
  • Yet from No Child Left Behind through the push for the Common Core into today’s zeal for science of reading, policy leaders are frustrated that the version of policy that occurs in the classroom does not match their vision.
    — Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of zeal
Noun
  • But Spiro often stops just short of fully allowing her writing to match the fervor in her voice.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026
  • Undersea experiments continued, but never again with the same scale and fervor as the 1960s, and with little support from NASA.
    — Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 2 July 2026
Definition of fervor
Noun
  • Jamie Squire / Getty Images Where was the verve from the previous matches?
    — David Hickey, NBC news, 7 July 2026
  • Corum, which was relatively young at the time, having been founded in 1955, was looking to continue its creative verve.
    — Roberta Naas, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of verve
Noun
  • And surrounding all the onstage brio is, at long last, an equally vibrant space.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 June 2026
  • In recent years, his expansive designing brio has expanded to cars with BMW, boats with Cigarette Racing and a private Kith padel club in Manhattan’s West Village that includes an Erewhon tonic bar.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
Definition of brio
Noun
  • Guy sang with typical verve and gusto.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • Caricatures of former British prime ministers line the walls, and proper pints are poured with gusto.
    — Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of gusto
Noun
  • Reading these two new plays this year, I was struck by the stylistic vigor and structural fluidity.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The Wahl brothers shared a vigor for learning about different cultures through similar avenues.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
Definition of vigor
Noun
  • Indeed, the Knick who’s really sparked my ardor lately is shooting guard Josh Hart—in no small part because of the sweetness of his bond with his wife, registered nurse Shannon Hart.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 June 2026
  • Like the nun Beate before her, Susanna seems destined, as punishment for her overwhelming ardor, to be walled into the convent.
    — Caroline Lillian Schopp, Artforum, 13 May 2026
Definition of ardor
Noun
  • Without a course correction, this exodus will drain the state’s economic vitality.
    — Wayne Winegarden, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
  • The name change marked a shift from being part of the VivaMayr family to becoming an independent, forward-facing brand dedicated to longevity medicine and long-term vitality.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 July 2026
Definition of vitality

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élan
élan vital
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Cite this Entry

“élan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9lan. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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