make a virtue of necessity

1. To pretend that one is freely and happily doing something one has been forced to do: “Once the mayor was forced by the voters to cut his budget, he made a virtue of necessity and loudly denounced government spending.”

Idioms and Phrases

Do the best one can under given circumstances, as in Since he can't break the contract, Bill's making a virtue of necessity. This expression first appeared in English in Chaucer's The Knight's Tale: “Then is it wisdom, as it thinketh me, to make virtue of necessity.” Also see make the best of.

Example Sentences

Why not make a virtue of necessity?

Read more on Washington Post

Using the fear of U.S. unilateralism can also make a virtue of necessity: The sheer volume of shipping that carries 17.5 million barrels of oil a day out of the Persian Gulf means it would be difficult for the United States alone to protect all the ships that might need it.

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He should make a virtue of necessity and convey the following points: that the United States will maintain our small presence in Syria until the Islamic State is gone; that unless Iran’s continuing entrenchment in Syria is contained, it will trigger a wider war between Israel and the Iranians; and that we will back the Israelis completely, making it in Putin’s interest to stop the expansion of the Iranians and their proxies in Syria and prevent a major regional escalation.

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“We’re trying to make a virtue of necessity,” said Richard Kauffman, Governor Cuomo’s chairman of energy and finance.

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Another is to make a virtue of necessity and build devices that take advantage of quantum oddities such as tunnelling, rather than trying to resist them.

Read more on Economist