Use fortitude for courage that lasts under pressure, especially when suffering or difficulty has to be borne over time.
Use fortitude for courage that lasts under pressure, especially when suffering or difficulty has to be borne over time.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She showed great fortitude by lifting the heavy box. | She showed great strength by lifting the heavy box. |
| He fortituded his way through the crisis. | He showed fortitude through the crisis. |
| The athlete's fortitude made his muscles stronger. | The athlete's training made his muscles stronger. |
Use fortitude in this sense only when explaining older texts, since modern English normally uses strength, sturdiness, or toughness.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| This backpack has the fortitude to hold heavy books. | This backpack is sturdy enough to hold heavy books. |
| The bridge needs more fortitude before cars can cross it. | The bridge needs more strength before cars can cross it. |
| Regular exercise improves your fortitude. | Regular exercise improves your strength. |
Use fortitude when courage is sustained rather than momentary, and reserve the physical-strength sense for older texts.
Using fortitude for ordinary physical power makes a modern sentence sound wrong unless the older sense is being discussed.
From Middle English fortitude, from Latin fortitudo meaning strength, firmness, or bravery, from fortis meaning strong or brave.
What does fortitude mean?
Fortitude means steady mental strength that helps someone face danger, pain, or long hardship with courage.
Is fortitude a noun?
Fortitude is a noun. It is not used as a verb.
How is fortitude different from courage?
Courage can be brief, while fortitude usually suggests courage and patience that continue over time.
Can fortitude mean physical strength?
Fortitude once meant physical strength, but that sense is now obsolete and mostly appears in older texts.
Where does fortitude come from?
Fortitude comes through Middle English from Latin fortitudo, formed from fortis, meaning strong or brave.
Is fortitude a virtue?
Fortitude is often named as a virtue in ethics and religion, where it means courage joined with endurance.
What are good synonyms for fortitude?
Good synonyms include courage, resolve, grit, endurance, resilience, and mettle.