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
-
While most would chalk Phil's zeal up to just being an old-school kind of guy, some fans postulate that the Shah of Iran is actually a closeted homosexual himself, and there are a few examples to back this up.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
-
Erdozain writes with a poet’s concision but a maximalist’s zeal, leaving no room in his historical account for any doubt that American exceptionalism has been a singularly detrimental force.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
But despite amassing a customer base, the fervor wasn’t enough to sway her towards baking as a full-time career.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
-
Demand dipped during the Great Depression and Vietnam War and rose amid the patriotic fervor of World War II and the bicentennial.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
In other words, the poise, verve and bravado displayed by the models were part of the activism that was on display – not merely a front for a larger cause.—
Eileen G'Sell,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
-
The tension between the two boils over into a confrontation which only Eisenhower can adjudicate, a task complicated by his own arrogant British subordinate, a wiry and dislikable General Bernard Montgomery - played with a villainous verve bordering on the pantomime by Damian Lewis.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
They are delivered with a confident brio, though the author is careful to enter caveats.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Contrary to their largely fiscal conservative rhetoric and critiques of universities as overly woke and elitist, Republicans generally sponsor earmarks with gusto across the board, including for colleges and universities.—
Heather McCambly,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
-
The gardens have set expectations high and local art fans have come to anticipate these efforts with gusto — and often reward the efforts with repeat visits to the site.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Reality is a system where prosecutorial vigor often correlates with public attention.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
-
Squish the bags around with vigor and joy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
After an early-morning session with the hens, a gobbler’s ardor may rise again at midday.—
Bruce Brady,
Outdoor Life,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the Moon, planet of intuition, enters your sign, identity and vitality feel refreshed, and your sensitivity becomes a quiet guide rather than a drain.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 June 2026
-
Joyce Manor broke out of the cookie-cutter second generation punk rock scene in California and is still touring and recording with the vitality of a new band.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“élan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9lan. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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