fortitude
Americannoun
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Usage
What is fortitude? Fortitude is mental or emotional strength in facing something difficult, as in Lillie stayed sane on the deserted island thanks to her intense mental fortitude.Fortitude refers to mental or emotional strength rather than physical or bodily strength, as in During the pandemic, Kasha wrote poetry to maintain her mental fortitude. But you can use words like strength, power, and intensity as synonyms for fortitude if you are talking specifically about mental or emotional strength.The adjective form of fortitude is fortitudinous, as in The fortitudinous soldiers never even considered retreating.Example: You could never tell June was suffering from illness due to her amazing fortitude.
Related Words
See patience.
Other Word Forms
- fortitudinous adjective
Etymology
Origin of fortitude
First recorded 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin fortitūdō “strength, firmness, courage,” equivalent to forti(s) “strong” + -tūdō noun suffix ( -tude )
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.
Perhaps this is a week to be grateful for the fortitude of patient, determined actors willing to stick with it for years and grind out change.
In Forrest’s case, he said, the recipe included “fortitude, guts, will, strength, pushing through, making fast decisions, and having the financial wherewithal.”
From Los Angeles Times
Boards must also have the flexibility and fortitude to design incentive compensation structures as they see fit to align with long-term strategies, while still rewarding short-term achievements that enable those long-term goals.
From Barron's
But to have the mental fortitude to put himself in difficult situations and score twice was great.
From BBC
However, this approach is not appropriate for new traders, as they often lack the capital and fortitude to execute it correctly.
From MarketWatch
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.
