the quality or practice of moral excellence or righteousness a particular moral excellence: the 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 an effective, active, or inherent power or force - by virtue of, 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
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
vir•tue /ˈvɜrtʃu/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Philosophy the practice of behaving or living one's life according to moral and ethical principles;
moral excellence:[uncountable]a life of virtue. - Philosophy a particular quality that reflects such moral excellence:[countable]His virtues include honesty and integrity.
- [uncountable] chastity, esp. in a woman.
- a desirable quality or property:[countable]Riding a bike to work was one of the virtues of living in a university town.
- Idioms by or in virtue of, by reason of;
because of:By virtue of his office, the Vice President decides a tie in the Senate. - Idioms make a virtue of necessity, to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation.
vir•tue
(vûr′cho̅o̅),USA pronunciation n.
vir′tue•less, adj.
vir′tue•less•ness, n.
- Philosophymoral excellence;
goodness;
righteousness. - Philosophyconformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles;
uprightness;
rectitude. - chastity;
virginity:to lose one's virtue. - Philosophya particular moral excellence. Cf. 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. Cf. angel (def. 1).
- manly excellence;
valor. - by or 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.
- Latin virtūt- (stem of virtūs) maleness, worth, virtue, equivalent. to vir man (see virile) + -tūt- abstract noun, nominal suffix
- Anglo-French, Old French
- Latin) of Middle English vertu
- alteration (with i 1175–1225
vir′tue•less•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See goodness.
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged probity, integrity.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged vice.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'moral virtue' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):