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
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
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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Another avenue for lawsuits against non-generative AI use is legal protections for trade secrets; trade secrets, which provide a competitive business advantage, are not known or shared with the public and reflect efforts designed to keep information secret.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
18 Feb. 2025
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As industries across manufacturing, energy, and logistics embrace this transformation, the stakes for competitive advantage have never been higher.—
Peter Bendor-Samuel,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Five years ago, Robert Wallach (Bobby) had an idea that seemed radical: to revolutionize the gig economy by eliminating the distinction between employees and independent contractors.—
Kody Boye,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Palmer has embraced the distinction, leveraging her position to create opportunities for other women.—
Julia Boorstin,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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About two dozen trustees serve by virtue of their government office, such as the librarian of Congress, the secretary of state, the mayor of Washington and the speaker and the minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.—
E. Andrew Taylor,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2025
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Using satirical allegory, broad farce, horror and violence, the visionary Korean master has made a string of standout genre films that double as subversive takes on sociopolitical rot, from Memories of Murder to The Host, Snowpiercer to Parasite, frequently making a virtue of tonal whiplash.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Brings a ton of defensive value, defensive versatility, really good baserunner.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
19 Feb. 2025
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Good value and salesmanship are no longer enough to get in the door.—
Jason Phillips,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had questioned if Brown, an African American man, had moved up the ranks based on race rather than merit.—
Megan Stringer,
Axios,
24 Feb. 2025
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People seemed surprised that a school so renowned for having extremely academic applicants does not award academic merit scholarships.—
Alyce Collins,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cardinal%20virtue. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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