virtue

[ vur-choo ]

/ ˈvɜr tʃu /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR virtue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.

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

chastity; virginity: to lose one's virtue.

a particular moral excellence.Compare cardinal virtues, natural virtue, theological virtue.

a good or admirable quality or property: the virtue of knowing one's weaknesses.

effective force; power or potency: a charm with the virtue of removing warts.

virtues, an order of angels.Compare angel(def 1).

manly excellence; valor.

Nearby words

Idioms

by/in virtue of, by reason of; because of: to act by virtue of one's legitimate authority.

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

Origin of virtue

1175–1225; alteration (with i < Latin) of Middle English vertu < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin virtūt- (stem of virtūs) maleness, worth, virtue, equivalent to vir man (see virile) + -tūt- abstract noun suffix

SYNONYMS FOR virtue

1. See goodness. 2. probity, integrity.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR virtue ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR virtue

1. vice.

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Related formsvir·tue·less, adjectivevir·tue·less·ness, nounnon·vir·tue, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for virtue

By virtue of being readers we are also writers, I now believe, but that was not always the case.
Book Bag: Overlooked Classic Books From the Sunshine State|Randy Wayne White|September 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the military can mitigate the risks simply by virtue of its enormous logistical reach.
The Military’s Mission to Fight Ebola Might Be Dangerous But it Won’t Be Black Hawk Down|Nathan Bradley Bethea|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Paragon of virtue Oliver North called for charges to be filed against Warner Brothers Music.
A Brief History of the Phrase 'F*ck the Police'|Rich Goldstein|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He saw no virtue in stubbornness, and he could never have taken pleasure in the refusal to act on something.
Washington Is Sorely Missing the Legislative Genius of Howard Baker|James Andrew Miller|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“Claiming that moderation in a time of such crisis is no virtue,” the martyr of American Russian studies declared.
Meet the Anti-Semites, Truthers, and Alaska Pol at D.C.’s Pro-Putin Soiree|James Kirchick|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There's no virtue in riding behind a donkey if you can own a carriage.
The Root of Evil|Thomas Dixon
When virtue imbues the one, health and strength appear to wait on the other.
The Life and Adventures of Ben Hogan, the Wickedest Man in the World|Benedict Hogan
Patience is no virtue of mine, and so far from appearing disposed to amend them, you daily multiply your errors.
Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume I (of 3)|James Dennistoun
Virtue indeed he regarded simply as a trick by which clever hypocrites imposed upon fools.
History of the English People, Volume VI (of 8)|John Richard Green
The men, by virtue of working in the open air, worry through with it better.
Ginger-Snaps|Fanny Fern

British Dictionary definitions for virtue

virtue

/ (ˈvɜːtjuː, -tʃuː) /

noun

the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness

a particular moral excellencethe virtue of tolerance

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

any admirable quality, feature, or trait

chastity, esp in women

archaic an effective, active, or inherent power or force

by virtue of or in virtue of on account of or by reason of

make a virtue of necessity to acquiesce in doing something unpleasant with a show of grace because one must do it in any case

Derived Formsvirtueless, adjective

Word Origin for virtue

C13: vertu, from Old French, from Latin virtūs manliness, courage, from vir man

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for virtue

virtue

early 13c., "moral life and conduct, moral excellence," vertu, from Anglo-French and Old French vertu, from Latin virtutem (nominative virtus) "moral strength, manliness, valor, excellence, worth," from vir "man" (see virile).

For my part I honour with the name of virtue the habit of acting in a way troublesome to oneself and useful to others. [Stendhal "de l'Amour," 1822]

Phrase by virtue of (early 13c.) preserves alternative Middle English sense of "efficacy." Wyclif Bible has virtue where KJV uses power. The seven cardinal virtues (early 14c.) were divided into the natural (justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude) and the theological (hope, faith, charity). To make a virtue of a necessity (late 14c.) translates Latin facere de necessitate virtutem [Jerome].

Idioms and Phrases with virtue

virtue

see by virtue of; make a virtue of necessity.

virtue

noun

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Origin of virtue

Examples from the Web for virtue

virtue

noun

Word Origin for virtue

virtue

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