virtue

[vur-choo]

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.

virtue

/ -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

Other Word Forms

• virtueless adjective
• virtuelessness noun
• nonvirtue noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of virtue¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of virtue¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

see by virtue of; make a virtue of necessity.

Synonym Study

See goodness.

Example Sentences

"This is totally false. The position of the vice and virtue ministry is generally on the wearing of hijab," Saif-ul-Islam Khyber said.

Read more on BBC

In January 2006 Gotham’s creator, Joel Greenblatt, had gone on television to promote a book and, when asked to name his favorite “value investors,” had extolled the virtues of a rare talent named Mike Burry.

Read more on Literature

On that grim day in 1975, one display of virtue came from Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“We have a great opportunity by virtue of what we have achieved.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“There’s a virtue in getting older — you’ve been humbled so many times that you don’t mind being curious about learning new skills,” he says.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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