as in zeal
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Recent Examples of élan
Khrushchev sought to revive revolutionary elan and push the USSR to the final stage of history, the transition from socialism to communism, during which the state apparatus would finally wither away.
—
Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Carter and Air Mail crafted the idea for the prize, which will be awarded to one fiction writer and one nonfiction scribe whose work embodies Wolfe’s imaginative, precise and literary elan.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 2025
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
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
Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Carter and Air Mail crafted the idea for the prize, which will be awarded to one fiction writer and one nonfiction scribe whose work embodies Wolfe’s imaginative, precise and literary elan.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for élan
Noun
-
But Strummer always had a puritanical zeal about his punk mission and a terror of getting corrupted by fame.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Lewis, with his convert's zeal, became a culture hero to 20th-century Christians for his many writings on faith.—
Jim Higgins,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But the world returned to its new normal and, judging by the Summer Games in Paris, Olympic fervor experienced a revival.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Early revolutionary fervor had given way to rule by a deeply corrupt and brutal nomenklatura.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Even his imitation of 20th-century leadership lacks a certain verve.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts cannot manage with the confidence and verve in handling his pitching staff last October; a rickety bullpen can make a skipper look skittish.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The killer’s obsession with achieving glory isn’t the only element that feels startlingly modern, with anachronistic touches lending the series an unusual brio.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
-
Sir Tom Stoppard, a titan of modern theater and film, whose award-winning works balanced wit and brio with a true curiosity for the depth of human emotion, has died at the age of 88.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
29 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Nuggets players who did suit up went at the Sixers with a gusto and energy not normally seen in an NBA game in January.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
As for Kidman's iconic curls, the Big Little Lies star has been embracing her natural texture with gusto in recent weeks.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But the proliferation of his branding on government entities shows a brazen vigor at self-promotion.—
Christine Ledbetter,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Singing is a form of communication used to signal a bird's health, vigor, and fitness to potential partners and to warn off rivals, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Yet even as Pym stalked him, slept with him, and pined after him, there was an element of unreality in her ardor, Harvey recalled.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
-
That ardor has endured since its Sundance debut.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Since its opening, the hotel has infused a fresh vitality in the town.—
Madeline Weinfield,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Phased retirement has proven to help older workers maintain vitality and reduce fatigue.—
Mary Moreland,
Fortune,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“élan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9lan. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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