vital force

American

noun

the force that animates and perpetuates living beings and organisms.

vital force British

noun

(esp in early biological theory) a hypothetical force, independent of physical and chemical forces, regarded as being the causative factor of the evolution and development of living organisms

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

“Still, I’m convinced the Sierra Club is a vital force of nature and truly an irreplaceable pillar in the American environmental movement.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2025

This constituency is a vital force in the Democratic Party, but its inclusion at the table of power remains a frustrating work in progress.

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2023

The Italian physicist Alessandro Volta rejected the idea of ‘animal electricity’, proposed by his rival Luigi Galvani as a vital force that animates organic matter.

From Nature • Mar. 29, 2020

The widespread belief called vitalism held that organic compounds were formed by a vital force present only in living organisms.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

His knees buckled, his arms gave way beneath him, all vital force now conquered by the sea.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

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