virtue

American  

[vur-choo] / ˈvɜr tʃu /

noun

1. moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.

   Antonyms:

   vice

2. conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.

   Synonyms:

   integrity, probity

3. chastity; virginity.

   to lose one's virtue.

4. a particular moral excellence.

5. a good or admirable quality or property.

   the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.

6. effective force; power or potency.

   a charm with the virtue of removing warts.

7. virtues, an order of angels.

8. manly excellence; valor.

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idioms

1. make a virtue of necessity, to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.

2. by / in virtue of, by reason of; because of.

   to act by virtue of one's legitimate authority.

virtue British  

/ -tʃuː, ˈvɜːtjuː /

noun

1. the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness

2. a particular moral excellence

   the virtue of tolerance

3. any of the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) or theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity)

4. any admirable quality, feature, or trait

5. chastity, esp in women

6. archaic an effective, active, or inherent power or force

7. on account of or by reason of

8. to acquiesce in doing something unpleasant with a show of grace because one must do it in any case

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virtue More Idioms  

1. see by virtue of; make a virtue of necessity.

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Related Words

See goodness.

Other Word Forms

• nonvirtue noun
• virtueless adjective
• virtuelessness noun

Etymology

Origin of virtue

First recorded in 1175–1225; alteration (with i from Latin ) of Middle English vertu, from Anglo-French, Old French from Latin virtūt-, stem of virtūs “maleness, worth, virtue,” equivalent to vir “man” + -tūs, abstract noun suffix; virile

Explanation

Virtue is the quality of being morally good. If you're writing a screenplay and you want it to be a real tearjerker, make sure your hero is full of virtue. The word virtue comes from the Latin root vir, for man. At first virtue meant manliness or valor, but over time it settled into the sense of moral excellence. Virtue can also mean excellence in general. One of your virtues might be your generous willingness to help out your friends. The phrase by virtue of means "as a result of" or "by authority of." You will achieve success by virtue of hard work (or by virtue of inside connections).

Example Sentences

Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, said: "Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world."

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

The Supreme Court ruled, however, that he was a US citizen by virtue of being born in the United States.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Rosenberg regards China’s as a victor in the trade war with America so far, by virtue of the $1.2 trillion trade surplus it recorded in 2025.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Defending the sanctity of the system is different from projecting strength as a virtue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Of course, he always experienced a certain anguish when hanging around with Lydia’s family at their home, by virtue of the contrast with his own family and home.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Related Words

• advantage
• character
• ethic
• excellence
• faith
• generosity
• goodness
• ideal
• kindness
• love
• merit
• morality
• purity
• quality
• rectitude
• righteousness
• value