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
Prudence, or practical wisdom, is the foremost among the cardinal virtues.
—
Bruno V. Manno, Forbes.com, 14 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
Bruno V. Manno, Forbes.com, 14 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
-
Kansas State has beaten the Jayhawks 16 straight times, but Missouri owns a razor-thin advantage in the Border War.—
Blake Toppmeyer,
The Tennessean,
12 July 2025
-
With the advantage of a year in the NBA in his favor, Buzelis showed a much higher ability to handle the ball in traffic.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
This distinction allows for protocols that satisfy technical requirements while addressing privacy concerns through meaningful limitations on what data will actually be examined.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
This distinction means that complexes like Gabriel House are subject to a different inspection, certification and regulatory process than Massachusetts nursing homes.—
Jared Kofsky,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
High-net-worth individuals, particularly business owners, professionals and investors, often face elevated exposure to legal risk simply by virtue of their visibility and success.—
Blake Harris,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
-
Just by virtue of being president, Trump has bolstered this belief of mine.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Even so, there’s a couple reasons Agyemang could still improve his value despite his somewhat advanced age of 24 in soccer terms.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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Finally, there is a potential hidden artificial intelligence value here.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
12 July 2025
Noun
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From an immigration perspective, the ab initio argument has merit.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
-
The case on the merits may not reach the Supreme Court until next spring.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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