as in zeal
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Recent Examples of élan
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
Shaun Grant’s script pulls off this trick with the smooth elan of a conjurer.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 Feb. 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
Oval watches aren’t exactly rare, but they rarely have been executed with such elan and sophistication.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 May 2024
Chucho and Correa become good friends as well, as the principal is won over by the new teacher’s creativity, commitment and elan.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
And that kind of sucks for the United States, who have come to expect some style and elan from their spin zone.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 16 June 2023
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
Shaun Grant’s script pulls off this trick with the smooth elan of a conjurer.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 Feb. 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
Oval watches aren’t exactly rare, but they rarely have been executed with such elan and sophistication.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 May 2024
Chucho and Correa become good friends as well, as the principal is won over by the new teacher’s creativity, commitment and elan.
—Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
And that kind of sucks for the United States, who have come to expect some style and elan from their spin zone.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 16 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for élan
Noun
-
Those on the left must recognize that their moralistic zeal and narrowing of intellectual discourse have turned educational and cultural institutions into engines of alienation, not trust.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
-
Champion Know-How Over Credential A highly successful R&D company in the aerospace industry described how so many of their associates worked for free after retirement, driven solely by their zeal to learn.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
Or Jewish people assailed and mocked over social media with unrelenting fervor.—
Jonathan Greenblatt,
Time,
23 May 2025
-
The Wolves don’t want to deal with Oklahoma fervor in Game 7.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
His keyboard work was consistently inspired and full of verve.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 May 2025
-
Whoever prevails in the cardinals’ deliberations will inherit a church with plenty of gilding but still in need of some of the verve and passion that Francis brought to the task.—
Randall Balmer,
Time,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
The untethered, anarchic, comic brio of Robbins’ novels feels incompatible with today’s world, as though the intervening years have been explicitly designed to stamp out this spirit and replace it with something that can be bought and sold, something governable.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2025
-
At Atletico, his natural brio repeatedly slammed into the brick wall of Diego Simeone’s personality.—
Jack Lang,
The Athletic,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Glad All Over blared over the PA system and, even after the music concluded, its final verses were sung with gusto.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
-
This annual weed spreads with gusto, overtaking large swatches of thin turf and open soil.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Among many independent political analysts, though, Biden's defeat seemed all but guaranteed, given voters' alarm about inflation and immigration as well as concern about his vigor.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
-
Following a time of recuperation, Pallister is ready to channel her vigor into this new label.—
Stephan Rabimov,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
While Republican officeholders are reluctant to directly condemn Trump, several have expressed the hope that the ardor for tariffs will be short-lived.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Each letter comes across as a set piece, a small achievement of style and tone: Vasari’s flowery, deferential missives to the duke, Maria’s youthful ardor and confusion, the overly pious cattiness of a nun.—
Chelsea Leu,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In this way, NATO can be seen as the insurance policy that underwrites the strength and vitality of the American economy.—
John Deni,
The Conversation,
27 May 2025
-
His fireplug vitality surrendered only to his untamed playing, boogie feel and volumes upon volumes of mesmerizing riffs.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“élan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9lan. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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