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
Tolerance became the cardinal virtue of modern liberalism, but tolerance cannot sustain a civilization.
—
Carolyn McKinney, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Practical wisdom, justice, and AI The cardinal virtues of practical wisdom and justice are the habits for deciding, fairly, what needs to be done.
—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
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
Carolyn McKinney, Boston Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Practical wisdom, justice, and AI The cardinal virtues of practical wisdom and justice are the habits for deciding, fairly, what needs to be done.
—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
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
-
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has proved its biggest strategic advantage in the war.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The Penguins opted to sit Crosby and several other regulars after clinching a playoff berth for the first time since the 2021-22 season and home ice advantage throughout the first round.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Raphael has the rare distinction of having an entire aesthetic movement named after a desire to go back to a time before him.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The biggest distinction between credit unions and banks is that credit unions are not-for-profit organizations that are owned and operated by their members, who elect a board of directors.—
Becca Stanek,
TheWeek,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All virtues rely on some set of conditions for their relevance.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
This is non-serious lawmaking — a transparent virtue-signal rather than an effort at problem-solving.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, declining loan valuations — markdowns in the value of loans extended by private credit funds — are signaling stress at the company level, forcing private equity managers to mark down asset values and accept lower returns, said Hooke.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
People are different; their experiences might have little overlap; their values pull in competing directions.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of the awards are based on merit, while others are granted because of financial need or through an association with a group or organization.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
-
But few people have publicly argued against its business merits.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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