virtue
Behavior showing high moral standards; a beneficial or admirable quality.
Virtue can refer to general moral excellence, a specific good habit (like patience), or an inherent efficacy or power (as in 'the virtue of a medicine').
Word relationships
- rectitude: Rectitude emphasizes moral integrity and correctness in judgment, while virtue is a broader term for moral excellence and good qualities.
- goodness: Goodness is a simple, general term, whereas virtue often implies a structured or cultivated moral habit.
- vice: A vice is a practice or habit that is immoral or wicked, directly opposing a virtue.
Commonly confused with
- virtuosity: Virtuosity refers to great technical skill in the fine arts, whereas virtue refers to moral excellence.
Word family
- virtuous (adjective): Having or showing high moral standards.
- virtuously (adverb): In a manner that shows high moral standards.
Collocations
- cardinal virtues
- by virtue of
- civic virtue
- paragon of virtue
Example sentences
- "Patience is often described as a rare virtue in today's fast-paced, instant-gratification world." A discussion on personal character.
- "He won the debate by virtue of his superior preparation and clear presentation of the facts." An idiom meaning 'because of'.
Memory hook
Think of a 'virtuoso' (a master musician) of moral character. Just as a virtuoso has mastered an instrument, a person of virtue has mastered moral goodness. A virtuoso of moral strength.
When not to use
Avoid using when you simply mean a preference or a neutral habit; virtue implies a strong positive moral value.
Fun facts
- In medieval theology, 'Virtues' was also the name of a specific order of angels, believed to be responsible for performing miracles on Earth.
Related words
Explore more words
principled, propriety, upstanding, probity, valiant, fortitude
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