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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Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez was dead against the idea, with his club arguing that breaking the traditional home and away format adulterated the competition, while also expressing concern over participating teams gaining a financial advantage.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Legalized betting has certain security advantages in that unusual betting patterns — such as large bets being placed on a random player’s performance — can be immediately flagged.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Zhao drew a distinction between her latest work and her previous films.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
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Three Nashville restaurants earned One Michelin Star, while seven more earned Bib Gourmand distinctions among other recognition.—
Mackensy Lunsford,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In a sector where sustainability often stops at the label, this model carries the virtue of being both circular and selfless.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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Just as personal vices can shape the course of an individual life, so too can national vices influence our collective experience, maybe as much as our virtues—or possibly even more.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Entry-level workers experiment freely and the C-suite sees strategic value, yet middle managers often struggle to bridge the gap.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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In addition, people without insurance use less care, even high-value care, which can impact future health.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Earlier in the three-stage judging system, a longlist of 465 eligible albums was boiled down to 50 nominees, focusing on creative merit over mainstream popularity.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
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Just because the moment has slipped away doesn't mean the merit is gone.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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