esprit
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of esprit
1585–95; < French < Latin spīritus spirit
Explanation
Someone with esprit is full of life, joy, and vigor. Your esprit might make you a lively camp counselor or an enthusiastic teacher. The quality of being vivacious and alive, smart and witty, can be summed up in the word esprit. Esprit isn't something everyone has, but people who do are positive and fun to be around. It's a French word that's been used in English since the 16th century, literally meaning "spirit," "soul," or "mind," from the Latin root spiritus, "spirit."
Vocabulary lists containing esprit
The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Christopher Mouse
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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.
The president told NBC News it would be an exercise in generating some "esprit de corps" - suggesting that he saw an opportunity to galvanise his troops.
From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025
It’s absolutely worth a read, given her family’s quirky esprit de corps even when they had nothing to eat but impala.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025
The department had argued the policy was enforced “to increase discipline, uniformity, safety and esprit de corps throughout this Department,” according to a Washington Post report at the time.
From Washington Post • Nov. 26, 2022
Arlekin Players Theater emerged from that initiative, in 2009, and the troupe, which then mostly performed in Russian, developed an esprit de corps.
From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2022
“You can tell this isn’t a Marine base. There's no spirit here. No esprit de corps.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
