verve
Americannoun
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enthusiasm or vigor, as in literary or artistic work; spirit.
Her latest novel lacks verve.
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vivaciousness; liveliness; animation.
I like a teacher with plenty of verve.
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Archaic. talent.
noun
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great vitality, enthusiasm, and liveliness; sparkle
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a rare word for talent
Etymology
Origin of verve
1690–1700; < French: enthusiasm, whim, chatter, apparently < Latin verba words, talk, plural (taken in VL as feminine singular) of verbum word; see verb
Explanation
If something has an energetic style or vitality, you can say it has verve. Dancers are noted for their verve on the stage. Morticians? Not so much. Similar words to verve include vim, vigor, and élan. Verve comes from the Latin root word verba, meaning "words," and in English originally meant a special talent in writing. Although the "special talent" sense is now archaic, verve is still an excellent choice to describe a writing style.
Vocabulary lists containing verve
"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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"Marigolds"
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The task now for Kerkez is to bring some of the attacking verve he was noted for with the Cherries to the Liverpool shirt.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Public Assembly’s combination of structural rigor and verve gives its work a distinct sensibility.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026
By Wednesday afternoon, the president had apparently decided to try to bring some of his verve and bombast to the White House’s East Room.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026
I have enjoyed the caustic verve of this Claude.ai promotional campaign, which seems to be heading off the inevitable swoon of the A.I. revolution before it firmly takes hold.
From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026
He liked the verve of her bouffant wigs, the drawl of her native Mississippi, as well as the severe eyeglass frames that belied the warmth in her eyes.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
