vigor

noun

vig·​or ˈvi-gər 

1

: active bodily or mental strength or force

2

: active healthy well-balanced growth especially of plants

3

: intensity of action or effect : force

4

: effective legal status

Synonyms

• beans
• bounce
• brio
• dash
• drive
• dynamism
• energy
• esprit
• gas
• get-up-and-go
• ginger
• go
• gusto
• hardihood
• juice
• life
• moxie
• oomph
• pep
• punch
• sap
• snap
• starch
• verve
• vim
• vinegar
• vitality
• zing
• zip

Examples of vigor in a Sentence

She defended her beliefs with great vigor.

she was picked to lead the volunteer group because of her vigor and enthusiasm

Recent Examples on the Web

None of this is news to the people who hold down the fort at the once-insanely-lucrative regional sports networks, a subset of the programming ecosystem that arguably has been clobbered with more frequency and vigor than any other element. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Jan. 2025

And taken together, his books reflect the abounding curiosity and vigor that defined his approach to life. —Rick Rojas, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024

China’s youth are draining vigor from consumption as a result of deep job losses, a marked contrast with older people’s spending habits that have remained stable since the pandemic, according to a prominent Chinese economist. —Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 3 Dec. 2024

In his statement Sunday, the president argued that such offenses typically are not prosecuted with the same vigor as was directed against Hunter Biden. —Bill Barrow, The Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vigour, from Anglo-French, from Latin vigor, from vigēre to be vigorous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vigor

• hybrid vigor
• vim and vigor

Kids Definition

vigor

noun

vig·​or ˈvig-ər 

1

: active strength or energy of body or mind

2

: active strength or force

Medical Definition

vigor

variants or chiefly British vigour

see hybrid vigor