virtuous
Americanadjective
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conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright.
Lead a virtuous life.
-
a virtuous young person.
adjective
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characterized by or possessing virtue or moral excellence; righteous; upright
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(of women) chaste or virginal
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
Virtuous is “good” with a halo. If you call someone virtuous, you are saying that person is living according to high moral standards. Someone virtuous is who you want leading your Girl Scout troop. When you use virtuous to describe an action, like, "Your decision to cancel your vacation plans when your mom got sick was virtuous," it’s almost as though you’re referring to an ideal of goodness. In past centuries, virtuous was synonymous with virginal. In many 18th century English novels, for example, a woman didn't even have to be all that nice to be called virtuous; it just mattered that she was sexually innocent.
Vocabulary lists containing virtuous
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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Thumbs Up: Synonyms for "Good"
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Much Ado About Nothing
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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.
Since we—the authors of this essay—are philosophers, maybe you’d expect us to say it’s important to do all these virtuous things for the right reasons.
From Slate • May 15, 2026
“It needs to be substantially reduced for Venezuela to engage on a virtuous circle.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
When you reinvest that cash into technology and M&A, it’s a virtuous flywheel.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
The company’s dominant position creates a virtuous cycle in which a large seller base attracts more buyers.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
He paused, with an expression that she would come to know well, a virtuous narrowing of his eyes that announced the high-mindedness of their owner.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
