cardinal virtue

noun

Definition of cardinal virtuenext
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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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 cardinal virtue Tolerance became the cardinal virtue of modern liberalism, but tolerance cannot sustain a civilization. — Carolyn McKinney, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025 Courage, self-discipline, and AI The other two cardinal virtues (there are four in all) are courage and self-discipline. — Andrew Abela, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal virtue
  1. advantage
  2. distinction
  3. virtue
  4. value
  5. merit
Noun
  • Along with trying to shave the Republican advantage in the district's dozen-plus rural counties, Bohannan is also trying to gain a foothold in its more urban and suburban hubs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Companies are exploring different robotic designs for transportation, industrial work and mobility, with quadruped systems offering potential advantages on uneven terrain.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of advantage
Noun
  • Corruption talk blurs the distinctions between these three distinct things.
    — Robert Boatright, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
  • For Leo, that distinction comes from making the highly recognizable papal wardrobe part of his own public style.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of distinction
Noun
  • We were inculcated with the importance of charity, love toward all, good works and humility, and urged to carry those virtues into adulthood.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • However, modern environments allow people to manufacture or amplify any positive signal (virtue signalling is the common term associated with cheap and fake signalling of virtues that are just meaningless or fake in substance).
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of virtue
Noun
  • Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority CEO Doug Kreulen said Parton’s life exemplified the values the airport seeks to nurture.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 2026
  • While several major Wall Street financial institutions are set to report their earnings this week, analysts told CNBC that the market is currently more focused on tech stocks, which now need to prove their value.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of value
Noun
  • At a five-acre research plot in Clarendon, Texas, the company has been studying roughly 500 cotton varieties, collecting field imagery and genomic information to determine which plants merit further breeding.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The football merit of letting Fernandez go has been less discussed.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of merit

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Cite this Entry

“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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