Virtue definition

vûrcho͝o
virtues
See word origin
Frequency:
General moral excellence; right action and thinking; goodness or morality.
noun
23
1
A particularly efficacious, good, or beneficial quality; advantage.

A plan with the virtue of being practical.

noun
15
3
(archaic) Chastity, especially in a woman.
noun
13
1
A specific moral quality regarded as good or meritorious.
noun
12
1
Effective force or power.

Believed in the virtue of prayer.

noun
10
4
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(christianity) The fifth of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.
noun
8
4
Chastity, esp. in a woman.
noun
3
1
Effective power or force; efficacy; esp., the ability to heal or strengthen.

The virtue of a medicine.

noun
3
1
Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness.
noun
2
0
(now rare) Manly quality; strength, courage, etc.
noun
2
0
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Virtue is defined as moral excellence.

An example of virtue is the following of all the Ten Commandments.

noun
1
0
(obsolete) Manly courage; valor.
noun
1
0
An example or kind of moral excellence.

The virtue of patience.

noun
1
0
Excellence in general; merit.

The virtue in planning ahead.

noun
1
0
A particular manifestation of moral excellence in a person; an admirable quality. [from 13th c.]
noun
1
0
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An inherently advantageous or excellent quality of something or someone; a favourable point, an advantage. [from 14th c.]
noun
1
0
A good quality or feature.

The virtues of teaching as a profession.

noun
0
0
The inherent power or efficacy of something (now only in phrases). [from 13th c.]
noun
0
0
(uncountable) Accordance with moral principles; conformity of behaviour or thought with the strictures of morality; good moral conduct. [from 13th c.]
noun
0
0
Specifically, each of several qualities held to be particularly important, including the four cardinal virtues, the three theological virtues, or the seven virtues opposed to the seven deadly sins. [from 14th c.]
noun
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0
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A creature embodying divine power, specifically one of the orders of heavenly beings, traditionally ranked above angels and below archangels. [from 14th c.]
noun
0
0
(uncountable) Specifically, moral conduct in sexual behaviour, especially of women; chastity. [from 17th c.]
noun
0
0
by
  • On the grounds or basis of; by reason of:
    Well-off by virtue of a large inheritance.
idiom
1
1
by virtue of
  • because of; on the grounds of
idiom
1
2
make a virtue of necessity
  • to accept with an agreeable or positive attitude that which must be accepted anyway
idiom
1
0
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
virtue
Plural:
virtues

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Origin of virtue

  • Middle English vertu from Old French from Latin virtūs manliness, excellence, goodness from vir man wī-ro- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English vertu, from Anglo-Norman vertu, Middle French vertu, from Latin virtus (“manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence"), from vir (“man"); see virile.

    From Wiktionary

Virtue Sentence Examples

  • Love virtue, and the people will be virtuous.

  • I can't deny the power of prayer, or the virtue of tenacity.

  • Virtue is often held up for admiration, and vice painted in revolting colours or derided.

  • The love of right reason is the supreme virtue, whence flow the cardinal virtues, diligence, obedience, justice and humility.

  • No one now loves virtue; it seems like a reproach to everyone.

More sentences

Related articles

Also Mentioned In

Words near virtue in the Dictionary