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
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From roster makeup to individual position battles to the coaches looking to exploit any advantage on the field, every bit of film is scrutinized to see which team has the advantage in January.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Despite being given three power plays in the first, the B’s were not good at all on the man advantage.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Critics say those distinctions are arbitrary and unfair, being based on outdated assumptions and bad science.—
Kevin Krause,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Jan. 2026
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There is a subtle but important distinction that bears discussion.—
Michael Isaacson,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Carrying Mandarin-style wooden ducks (won-ang seteu) down the aisle symbolizes the groom's commitment to his partner and represents virtues like fidelity, harmony, and family in Korean culture.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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The virtue of me organizing words and putting them in order and being able to evoke different types of emotions in different types of personalities, that’s a great talent.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Olathe’s trajectory mirrors what’s happening across Johnson County — which saw more than 90% of the homes go up in value in 2024, with the average home prices sitting at $508,000 and average sale price at $557,000.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
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Cultural, linguistic, and value-based assimilation challenges arise, potentially altering national identities and eroding civilizational confidence.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Limbaugh did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit on Friday, but the case could have broader implications on Missouri’s efforts to keep the Royals inside state lines.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
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Under the current merit-selection system, the governor chooses justices from among nominees recommended by a commission of lawyers and citizens; new justices stand for retention election after the first year and every eight years thereafter.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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