ÉLAN Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

élan

noun

Definition of élan

as in zeal

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Recent Examples of élan 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 Schwartzman, though, is comic gold as an inappropriate inlaw while Sessa brightens things up as a broken-hearted sop who insinuates himself with all the elan of a Lab puppy into the neighbor’s next door household. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025 The custom cocktail dress was inspired by a style from Safiyaa’s fall-winter 2022 collection, which drew from the elan of the American socialite and fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 26 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for élan

Recent Examples of Synonyms for élan

Noun

Yet from No Child Left Behind through the push for the Common Core into today’s zeal for science of reading, policy leaders are frustrated that the version of policy that occurs in the classroom does not match their vision.

— Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
As Prime Minister, Howard—a lifelong conservative who has lived abroad once, campaigning for the Tories in London—was known for having an almost schoolboy zeal for the job.

— Oscar Schwartz, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Definition of zeal

Noun

Undersea experiments continued, but never again with the same scale and fervor as the 1960s, and with little support from NASA.

— Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 2 July 2026
After months of speculation and tabloid fervor, pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will hold a wedding celebration at New York City’s Madison Square Garden this week, two sources told CNN on Tuesday.

— Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

Definition of fervor

Noun

And surrounding all the onstage brio is, at long last, an equally vibrant space.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 June 2026
In recent years, his expansive designing brio has expanded to cars with BMW, boats with Cigarette Racing and a private Kith padel club in Manhattan’s West Village that includes an Erewhon tonic bar.

— Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026

Definition of brio

Noun

Deadheading helps redirect energy to the plant, improving overall vigor and reducing disease risk.

— Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 27 June 2026
The crowd shook her car with such vigor that the 23-year-old Westminster resident couldn’t turn up the music like people shouted at her to do.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

Definition of vigor

Noun

Indeed, the Knick who’s really sparked my ardor lately is shooting guard Josh Hart—in no small part because of the sweetness of his bond with his wife, registered nurse Shannon Hart.

— Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 June 2026
Like the nun Beate before her, Susanna seems destined, as punishment for her overwhelming ardor, to be walled into the convent.

— Caroline Lillian Schopp, Artforum, 13 May 2026

Definition of ardor

Noun

Paine rightly saw that a critical determinant for the success of our new nation and the vitality of its democracy was sustained, active citizen participation in political and social affairs.

— Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
But the everyday diminishment of vitality, mobility and equanimity defined life in 1776.

— Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026

Definition of vitality

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“élan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/%C3%A9lan. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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noun

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Synonyms of élan

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Articles Related to élan

Little Words, Big Vocabulary Quiz

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes