CARDINAL VIRTUE Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

cardinal virtue

noun

Definition of cardinal virtue

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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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 Courage, self-discipline, and AI The other two cardinal virtues (there are four in all) are courage and self-discipline. — 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cardinal virtue

Noun

The Democrats are in their own civil war, which are giving Republicans an opportunity that historically gives them advantage in this election a problem.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Christian Cage took advantage with a low blow on Matt from behind.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of advantage

Noun

Alongside them, an 82-year-old lawmaker wages a final battle against powerful religious opposition to change the law — and the belief that endurance is a virtue.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
And ads paid for by the prediction market and gambling industries don’t tout the virtues of those industries.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of virtue

Noun

Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority CEO Doug Kreulen said Parton’s life exemplified the values the airport seeks to nurture.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 2026
While several major Wall Street financial institutions are set to report their earnings this week, analysts told CNBC that the market is currently more focused on tech stocks, which now need to prove their value.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of value

Noun

At a five-acre research plot in Clarendon, Texas, the company has been studying roughly 500 cotton varieties, collecting field imagery and genomic information to determine which plants merit further breeding.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
The football merit of letting Fernandez go has been less discussed.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of merit

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“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cardinal virtue

noun

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