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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Keller took advantage and scored after two of the gaffes and the third killed a drive in the end zone.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The veteran right-hander — who grew up in Anaheim — had sharp command of his pitches and used it to his advantage throughout the night.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Asteroids are larger rocks in space, but there's no official distinction.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
One crucial distinction, though, comes from how the question is phrased.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Growing longer, healthier hair takes a lot of patience—a virtue that clashes with social media’s instant gratification itch.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
2 Oct. 2025
-
In his mind, the army was not a caste apart but an instrument of the republic – an arena in which self-command and civic virtue were tested.—
Maurizio Valsania,
The Conversation,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The company decreased total water use across its operations and value chain by 32 percent from its fiscal 2020 baseline.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Stewardship speaking, the organization’s total water usage, across its operations and value chain, dropped 32 percent against the 2020 baseline—some 12 percent above and beyond the 20 percent reduction goal.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Oral arguments regarding the merits of the state’s appeal of the lower court decision are scheduled for January.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Many legal experts felt Trump’s case was weak on its merits.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share