- having, or characterized by, moral virtue; righteous
- chaste: said of a woman
- Archaic having potency; efficacious
Origin of virtuous
Middle English vertuous from Old French vertuos from Late Latin virtuosus from Classical Latin virtus, worth, virtue
adjective
The definition of virtuous is someone or something who is moral.
An example of virtuous is a nun.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"virtuous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous>.
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virtuous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous
virtuous
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"virtuous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous>.
APA Style
virtuous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous
virtuous
adjective
- Having or showing virtue, especially moral excellence: led a virtuous life. See Synonyms at moral.
- Archaic Chaste: a virtuous woman.
Related Forms:
- vir′tu·ous·ly
adverb
- vir′tu·ous·ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"virtuous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous>.
APA Style
virtuous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous
Adjective
(comparative more virtuous, superlative most virtuous)
- Full of virtue, having excellent moral character.
Origin
From Middle English, Anglo Norman, ultimately from Late Latin virtuÅsus, from Latin virtÅ«s.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"virtuous." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous>.
APA Style
virtuous. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/virtuous
Sentence Examples
- She was the most honest and virtuous woman that he had ever met.
- The virtuous man is pure, not in act only, but also in heart.
- For if the pleasure of virtuous activity is a supervening end beyond the activity, it becomes a supervening end beyond the happiness of virtuous activity, which thus ceases to be the final end.
- The souls of the virtuous pass after death into ever new incarnations of greater perfection, till at last they reach a point at which they can be re-absorbed into the Deity itself; those of the wicked may be degraded to the level of camels or dogs.
- The higher happiness is given to man by free grace of God; but it is given to those only whose heart is right, and as a reward of virtuous actions.
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