vigor

American

[vig-er] / ˈvɪg ər /

especially British, vigour

noun

active strength or force.
healthy physical or mental energy or power; vitality.

Synonyms:

strength, force, drive
energetic activity; energy; intensity.

The economic recovery has given the country a new vigor.
force of healthy growth in any living matter or organism, as a plant.
active or effective force, especially legal validity.

vigor Idioms

see vim and vigor.

Other Word Forms

vigorless adjective

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

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.

With AI stocks on the wane, and investors rotating into economically sensitive sectors such as energy, materials, and industrials with increasing vigor, “next week” is a long time in markets.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

"Subsecond dopamine fluctuations do not specify the vigor of ongoing actions" by Haixin Liu and Nicolas Tritsch et al., was published in Nature Neuroscience.

From Science Daily • Dec. 22, 2025

Vital, by Merriam-Webster’s definition, implies a work that is “tending to renew or refresh the living,” full of life and vigor, and, what do you know, animated.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025

But for a while Wednesday, that vigor was conspicuously absent against Texas San Antonio, a team that lost four of its last five.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025

I made sure to come home all vim and vigor, never complaining about the customers’ behavior or about my feet hurting from standing all day.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023