virtue
Americannoun
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virtues
plural
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moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.
- Antonyms:
- vice
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conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.
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chastity; virginity.
to lose one's virtue.
-
a particular moral excellence.
-
a good or admirable quality or property.
the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.
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effective force; power or potency.
a charm with the virtue of removing warts.
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virtues, an order of angels.
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manly excellence; valor.
idioms
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make a virtue of necessity, to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.
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by / in virtue of, by reason of; because of.
to act by virtue of one's legitimate authority.
noun
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the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness
-
a particular moral excellence
the virtue of tolerance
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any of the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) or theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity)
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any admirable quality, feature, or trait
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chastity, esp in women
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archaic an effective, active, or inherent power or force
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on account of or by reason of
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to acquiesce in doing something unpleasant with a show of grace because one must do it in any case
Synonym Usage
See goodness.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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; see 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).
Vocabulary lists containing virtue
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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"The Monkey's Paw," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
See Examples For:
Though I don’t put much stock in polls, she’s ahead on points by virtue of Bass’ high negative rating alone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Another arguably fusionist figure discussed in the book is Ronald Reagan, who combined libertarian leanings with genuine appreciation for freedom anchored in virtue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
There is no particular virtue in refusing yourself the same generosity at dinner.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Wigan now have a bye week by virtue of a top two place and will be at home for their Super League play-off semi-final on Saturday, 12 September, live on the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“You shine with virtue, and the light drew me like a moth to flame,” he replied.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
But these virtues have to be weighed against a dismaying amount of carelessness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Too much about this deal is hidden, and too much is claimed for its virtues than it could plausibly deserve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Amazon wants you to see ads, to become aware of the virtues of Prime membership, and to know that there’s a Thursday Night Football game that you won’t want to miss.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
There comes a time when one extols cinema’s virtues so fiercely that it feels like posturing.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
As the children of families that valued scholarly pursuits, Ernest and Merle both were inculcated with the virtues of study and knowledge from an early age.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
