vigor

American  

[vig-er] / ˈvɪg ər /

especially British, vigour

noun

1. active strength or force.

2. healthy physical or mental energy or power; vitality.

   Synonyms:

   strength, force, drive

3. energetic activity; energy; intensity.

   The economic recovery has given the country a new vigor.

4. force of healthy growth in any living matter or organism, as a plant.

5. active or effective force, especially legal validity.

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vigor Idioms  

1. see vim and vigor.

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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

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."

Example Sentences

The lack of martial vigor rings especially true of the other groups, the seemingly disbanded Hurras al-Din in Syria and al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV stepped up to the microphone and with unvarnished vigor defended his quarterback.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

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

If rapid dopamine bursts were responsible for movement vigor, changing dopamine levels at that exact moment should have altered how fast or forcefully the mice moved.

From Science Daily • Dec. 22, 2025

He then pursued his studies with more vigor than before and decided at last to enter the ministry.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• ability
• agility
• alertness
• capability
• dynamism
• endurance
• intensity
• potency
• quickness
• strength
• urgency
• vitality