fortitude
noun
Did you know?
Fortitude comes from the Latin word fortis, meaning “strong,” and in English it has always been used primarily to describe strength of mind. For a time, the word was also used to mean “physical strength”; William Shakespeare used it that way in Henry VI, Part 1: “Coward of France! How much he wrongs his fame / Despairing of his own arm's fortitude.” But despite use by the Bard of Avon, that meaning languished and is now considered obsolete. Even the familiar phrase “intestinal fortitude” is just a humorous way to refer to someone’s courage or mental stamina, not the literal strength of their digestive system. (If you’re looking to describe such a gastrointestinal tract, we might suggest “iron stomach.”)
Examples of fortitude in a Sentence
Nicholas Fox Weber, The Clarks Of Cooperstown, 2007
But now Frum, by having the fortitude to revisit that bizarre era, has half-persuaded me that the '70s, a partial negation of the '60s, in one way, were a partial confirmation of them in another.
—Christopher Hitchens, Civilization, April/May 2000
He learned that war was a hurly-burly of violence in which men prevailed through imagination and the fortitude to struggle on despite reverses.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
She has endured disappointments with fortitude and patience.
it was only with the greatest fortitude that the Pilgrims were able to survive their first winter in Plymouth
Outside Online, 15 Oct. 2025
Red Mass is a Catholic Mass that celebrates the start of the judicial year and offers prayers for wisdom, counsel, and fortitude for judges, lawyers and public officials.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
So, how does a dancer build the stamina, endurance, and mental fortitude needed to push through a slew of performances?
—Ayana Underwood, Outside, 3 Oct. 2025
Their fortitude resulted in a thoughtful, lyrically dense project that ‘Nandez likens to a collection of personal and political anecdotes rapped on production that Preservation built around ‘Nandez baritone vocal tone.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortitude
Cite this Entry
“Fortitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fortitude. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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fortitude
noun
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