as in zeal
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Recent Examples of élan
But these artists skillfully infuse every note with passion and gritty elan.
—
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Dec. 2025
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
Carter and Air Mail crafted the idea for the prize, which will be awarded to one fiction writer and one nonfiction scribe whose work embodies Wolfe’s imaginative, precise and literary elan.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 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
Trending on Billboard What comes next is a clinic in classic Jackson, with the singer popping, locking and skittering across the club’s floor while executing some of his signature spins and fancy footwork while breaking hearts and deftly dispatching would-be assassins with his signature elan.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024
The Orioles have adeptly selected their times to be aggressive on the bases
After more than three hours of tense back and forth Wednesday night in the Bronx, the Orioles finished the Yankees not with their trademark power but with base running elan.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2024
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Dec. 2025
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
Carter and Air Mail crafted the idea for the prize, which will be awarded to one fiction writer and one nonfiction scribe whose work embodies Wolfe’s imaginative, precise and literary elan.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 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
Trending on Billboard What comes next is a clinic in classic Jackson, with the singer popping, locking and skittering across the club’s floor while executing some of his signature spins and fancy footwork while breaking hearts and deftly dispatching would-be assassins with his signature elan.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2024
The Orioles have adeptly selected their times to be aggressive on the bases
After more than three hours of tense back and forth Wednesday night in the Bronx, the Orioles finished the Yankees not with their trademark power but with base running elan.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for élan
Noun
-
But some states' tax-cutting zeal is hitting political resistance to slashing local government and public school funding.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Mary, who was just finishing up undergrad at NYU herself, responded to a casting-call flyer Ron posted and slipped into the role with the confrontational zeal of a creative soul mate.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On August 12, the general was greeted in New Haven with patriotic fervor.—
Regina E. Mason,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Some of Abarca’s fellow legislators responded to the ordinance with a similar level of fervor against the current state of federal immigration enforcement operations.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The upbeat nature of this introduction’s tone hides some dark, dark stuff, but Caswill maintains its verve, even as Kenna … removes a roadside memorial cross?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Carrick’s men have toiled in first halves against West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace, only to discover some attacking verve later in the game.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His roots on the island of Ischia mean that Umbria’s meaty, carb-heavy traditions are tempered by southern lightness and brio.—
Lee Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The killer’s obsession with achieving glory isn’t the only element that feels startlingly modern, with anachronistic touches lending the series an unusual brio.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
If Ryan Gosling wants to get a marching band to wish his lady a very happy birthday, Fallon and the gang are going to accommodate that request — with gusto.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
On one hand, the enthusiasm almost undermines its own point; if such an event were actually common it wouldn’t be celebrated with such gusto.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
However, stocks rebounded with vigor and were back to their old highs by August — the fastest recovery of its kind in history.—
Greg Iacurci,Annie Nova,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The quick-growing perennial has a strong rebloom and overall great vigor, adding interest to the garden all summer long.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
By contrast with the work of other documentary filmmakers of similarly observational ardor, Depardon’s method is rugged.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Fire in all its forms, literal and figurative and symbolic—the consuming ardor of desire, the irreversible incinerations of loss, the flaming swords of Genesis—is the central subject of Kelly Hoffer’s second collection Fire Series.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Against this backdrop, the most striking thing about Dreamers in Exile is its liberated vitality.—
Brian Howe,
Pitchfork,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Schulze will lead the city’s efforts to attract and retain businesses, support commercial development, and strengthen partnerships that drive long-term economic vitality in Vista, the release states.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“élan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9lan. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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