virtuous
Americanadjective
-
conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright.
Lead a virtuous life.
-
a virtuous young person.
adjective
-
characterized by or possessing virtue or moral excellence; righteous; upright
-
(of women) chaste or virginal
Other Word Forms
- nonvirtuous adjective
- nonvirtuously adverb
- nonvirtuousness noun
- quasi-virtuous adjective
- quasi-virtuously adverb
- unvirtuous adjective
- unvirtuously adverb
- unvirtuousness noun
- virtuously adverb
- virtuousness noun
Etymology
Origin of virtuous
First recorded in 1300–50; alteration (with i from Latin ) of Middle English vertuous, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin virtuōsus, equivalent to Latin virtu(s) virtue + -ōsus -ous
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.
He settles on Princess Diana—but for virtuous reasons.
Adding businesses to the streets while improving public safety would help halt the “downward spiral and turn it into more of a virtuous cycle,” said Nella McOsker, president of the association.
From Los Angeles Times
It's yet to be seen whether this is a virtuous circle that never stops, or whether Mercedes will reach diminishing returns and McLaren can catch up.
From BBC
For me, it’s rarely in a virtuous bowl.
From Salon
The Basque Coast hospital praises what it calls a "virtuous" financing model that "diversifies" its funding sources and lets people invest their savings in a product that is "useful, transparent and local".
From Barron's
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.
