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.
"Vijay carries a different kind of verve," says social scientist Shiv Visvanathan.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
Michaela’s verve for life helps to enliven Francesca, especially after John’s death.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
Though the story wells with tenderness, it isn’t executed with much verve.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 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
In this, the atmosphere, no matter how coarse, has a verve and an essential joviality that casts out morbidity.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
