vigor
Americannoun
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active strength or force.
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healthy physical or mental energy or power; vitality.
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energetic activity; energy; intensity.
The economic recovery has given the country a new vigor.
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force of healthy growth in any living matter or organism, as a plant.
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active or effective force, especially legal validity.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vigor
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English vigo(u)r, from Anglo-French; Middle French vigeur, from Latin vigor “force, energy,” from vig(ēre) “to be vigorous, thrive” + -or -or 1
Explanation
If your new puppy runs all over the house, jumps on the furniture, and enthusiastically chews up your socks, you may congratulate yourself on your new pup's vigor, or lively sense of energy. Aside from mental or physical vitality, the noun vigor can be applied to an imaginative style of thought or expression and also to a forceful intensity. "The jury was not only willing to acquit the defendant, but also nominate him for sainthood, by the time his attorney had delivered, with vigor, an impassioned plea for his client's innocence."
Vocabulary lists containing vigor
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Chains
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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.
A surprisingly strong U.S. economy sustained its vigor on the verge of the holiday shopping season, a pair of S&P surveys showed, as businesses hired more workers to keep up with rising customer demand.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Banderas provides his mentor figure with a delightful vigor, but Johnson can’t quite figure out what to do with him, or how to make Chef feel like a real person.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Reading these two new plays this year, I was struck by the stylistic vigor and structural fluidity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
And his diction, whether sung or spoken, was projected with vigor and no strain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
She put vigor and spirit into her playing, but not sentimental passion.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
