Meanings
nounverve (uncountable)
- uncountableEnthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist, musician, or writer, in composing or performing.
But she responded with a great deal of wit and verve:[...].
Part 1 published in 1605, Part 2 in 1615, translated in 2003, Miguel de Cervantes and translated by Edith Grossman, Don Quixote, page 2004 more examples
His hands were strong and elegant; his experience of life evidently varied; his speech full of pith and verve; his manners forward, but perfectly presentable.
1879–1880, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Stowaways”, in The Amateur Emigrant: From the Clyde to Sandy Hook, Chicago, Ill.: Stone and Kimball, published 18 January 1895, →OCLC, page 105They played through vacation to the fashionable of eight cities. […] Chicago he approved for a certain verve that transcended its loud accent—however, it was a Yale town, and as the Yale Glee Club was expected in a week the Triangle received only divided homage.
1920 April, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, “Spires and Gargoyles”, in This Side of Paradise, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, book I (The Romantic Egotist), page 63Normally, this [girl] presents to the world the appearance of one who is feeling that if it isn't the best of all possible worlds, it's quite good enough to be going on with till a better one comes along. Verve, I mean, and animation and all that sort of thing. But now there was a listlessness about her […]
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLCAfter spending so much of the season looking upwards, the swashbuckling style and swagger of early season Spurs was replaced by uncertainty and frustration against a Norwich side who had the quality and verve to take advantage.
2012 April 9, Mandeep Sanghera, “Tottenham 1 – 2 Norwich”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2017Synonyms: brio, élan, liveliness, moxie, panache, vivacity, dash, action
- obsoleteuncountableA particular skill in writing.
If he be above Virgil, and is reſolv'd to follow his own Verve (as the French call it,) the Proverb will fall heavily upon him; Who teaches himſelf, has a Fool for his Maſter.
1697, John Dryden, “To the Most Honourable John, Lord Marquess of Normanby, […]”, in Virgil, translated by John Dryden, The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page [184]
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEnthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist, musician, or writer, in composing or performing.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*werh₁-“to say, speak”
- Latinverba“words; discourse; expressions; language”
- Late Latinverva
- Frenchverve“animation; caprice, whim; rapture; spirit; vigour; type of expression”
- Englishverve
Borrowed from French verve (“animation; caprice, whim; rapture; spirit; vigour; type of expression”), probably from Late Latin verva, a variant of Latin verba (“words; discourse; expressions; language”), the plural of verbum (“word”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to say, speak”). Doublet of verb and word.
More words from French, Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian зама́х, ентусиазъм
- зама́х (zamáh)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- ентусиазъм (entusiazăm)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Czech verva
- vervaenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Dutch schwung
- schwungenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Esperanto vervo
- vervoenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Finnish innostus, palo
- innostusenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- paloenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
French verve
- verveenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
German Verve, Begeisterung
- Verveenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- Begeisterungenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- Enthusiasmusenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- Schwungenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Greek οίστρος, μπρίο
- οίστρος (oístros)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- μπρίο (brío)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- νεύρο (névro)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- ζωντάνια (zontánia)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Italian verve, animatezza
- verveenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- animatezzaenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- brioenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- estroenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- vivacitàenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Japanese エスプリ
- エスプリ (esupuri)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Māori wana
- wanaenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Polish werwa, wigor
- werwaenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- wigorenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- bigielenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Romanian vervă
- vervăenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Russian воодушевление, вдохновение
- воодушевление (vooduševlenije)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- вдохновение (vdoxnovenije)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Slovak verva
- vervaenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Spanish denuedo, energía
- denuedoenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- energíaenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- fogosidadenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- nervioenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
- verbaenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Swedish stuns
- stunsenthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Urdu جیون
- جیون (jīvan)enthusiasm, rapture, spirit, or vigour, especially of imagination such as that which animates an artist musician, or writer, in composing or performing — see also spirit, vigour
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with verve
servereservecurvepreserveobservedeservenerveconserveswerveMervlurveunnervedeep temporal nervedervmedial pterygoid nervenasopalatine nervepneumogastric nervevelocity curve
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
verve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verve
MLA
“verve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verve. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “verve,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verve.
Source: verve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.