élan

American  

[ey-lahn, ey-lan, ey-lahn] / eɪˈlɑn, eɪˈlæn, eɪˈlɑ̃ /

noun

1. style; flair; dash (especially in manner).

   to dance with great élan.

   Synonyms:

   zest, verve, spirit, panache, esprit, animation

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élan British  

/ eɪˈlæn, elɑ̃, eɪˈlɑːn /

noun

1. a combination of style and vigour

   he performed the concerto with élan

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Etymology

Origin of élan

First recorded in 1875–80; French, Middle French eslan “a dash, rush,” noun derivative of eslancer “to dart,” equivalent to es- ex- ¹ + lancer “to lance ¹ ”

Explanation

Elan is a simple sounding word that means liveliness, flash and panache. So if your dance moves have elan, you're feeling the groove with exceptional style and vigor. Elan comes from a French word meaning "to dart," and is often spelled élan. Someone with elan can be said to dart around with enthusiasm and a unique flair. Music or art can have elan, and so can someone's wardrobe. Elan can also mean zeal or eagerness in favor of a person or cause. So don't let this boring sounding noun fool you. Elan has a lot of pizazz up its sleeve.

Example Sentences

And so it was with Hollywood, which over the course of four decades translated some of McMurtry’s best work for film, episodes narrated with élan by Mr. Streitfeld.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

It was something in Dominique Pelicot's swagger, his "élan" - as the French might put it - that immediately struck the psychiatrist as odd.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024

Even his biggest detractors turn their contempt into shareable bites, and Drake reacts to that dismissal with cool élan, incorporating it into his narrative when it serves him.

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2023

Her appearance at The Triple Door is a record release party for a surprising new EP, “Vanity,” which pushes her special blend of jazz, folk and Broadway élan into startling art-song territory.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 4, 2023

Somewhere in all this, it was thought, there also resided a mysterious élan vital, the force that brought inanimate objects to life.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson