Meaning & use
fortitude
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableformal
Inner strength that lets a person keep going calmly through pain, grief, or a long hard time.
Grammar: No plural and no article needed: she showed great fortitude.
Patterns
- fortitude in the face of something
- have the fortitude to do something
She faced the long illness with remarkable fortitude.
It took real fortitude to start over in a new country.
The team's fortitude through the harsh winter impressed everyone.
Common combinations
- show fortitude
- The nurses showed great fortitude during the crisis.
- moral fortitude
- Refusing the bribe took moral fortitude.
- mental fortitude
- Marathon runners need plenty of mental fortitude.
- the fortitude to do something
- He lacked the fortitude to finish the course.
- admire someone's fortitude
- I admire your fortitude after so many setbacks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- resilience
- Resilience stresses bouncing back after trouble, while fortitude stresses staying steady during it.
- courage
- Courage is broader and can be a single brave act, whereas fortitude is long, patient endurance.
- stamina
- Stamina is usually physical energy to last, while fortitude is strength of character.
- grit
- Grit is more informal and suggests stubborn determination, where fortitude sounds calmer and more dignified.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fortitude or fortune?
fortitude vs fortune
Fortune means luck or great wealth and has nothing to do with strength of character.
Practice
Which sentence uses fortitude correctly?
Choose one answer.
Fortitude means steady strength in hardship, so only the hospital sentence works. The others need words like supply, fortunate, or round.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fortitude”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.