virtue
noun
vir·tue
ˈvər-(ˌ)chü 
1
: morally good behavior or character
those who lead lives of virtue
2
: a good and moral quality
Patience is a virtue.
The very virtue of compassion in thee …—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare3
: the good result that comes from something
the virtue of hard work
4
: an advantage or benefit
One of the virtues of this job is the flexible hours.
… red pepper's medicinal virtues …—Anne Mendelson
Anne Mendelson5
: strength or courage : valor
But amid all his masculine and English virtue, he has this weak touch of meekness, or acceptance of the powers that be.—G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton6
: a capacity to act : potency
She had the virtue to confront her bully.
7
: chastity
8
Examples of virtue in a Sentence
He led me across the concrete floor, through a concrete warehouse, and to the concrete screening room, where he began to extol the virtue and beauty of his eleven-mile-long sewage interceptor.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's, February 2008
Disinterestedness was the most common term the founders used as a synonym for the classical conception of virtue or self-sacrifice; it better conveyed the threats from interests that virtue seemed increasingly to face in the rapidly commercializing eighteenth century.
—Gordon S. Wood, Revolutionary Characters, 2006
It was not only his title that made Poor Richard—and by extension [Benjamin] Franklin—an honorary Frenchman. He may well have devoted a great amount of ink to virtue and order, but he checked those concepts at the door of the beau monde; he made it clear that he was not too good for that world …
—Stacy Schiff, A Great Improvisation, 2005
Nerviness is considered a virtue, a good machine, an energy that builds nations, businesses and dynasties. Handed down from generation to generation, like a caustic strand of DNA, it infects the unhappy, the unfortunate and the unlucky, and turns them into desperate strivers, prepared to do anything to realize their ridiculous ambitions.
—David Byrne, The New Sins/Los Nuevos Pecados, 2001
Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall …
—William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, 1605
the virtue of wool as a clothing material is that it can provide insulation from the cold even when wet
a lady of honor and virtue
Frederick Kaufman, Harper's, February 2008
Disinterestedness was the most common term the founders used as a synonym for the classical conception of virtue or self-sacrifice; it better conveyed the threats from interests that virtue seemed increasingly to face in the rapidly commercializing eighteenth century.
—Gordon S. Wood, Revolutionary Characters, 2006
It was not only his title that made Poor Richard—and by extension [Benjamin] Franklin—an honorary Frenchman. He may well have devoted a great amount of ink to virtue and order, but he checked those concepts at the door of the beau monde; he made it clear that he was not too good for that world …
—Stacy Schiff, A Great Improvisation, 2005
Nerviness is considered a virtue, a good machine, an energy that builds nations, businesses and dynasties. Handed down from generation to generation, like a caustic strand of DNA, it infects the unhappy, the unfortunate and the unlucky, and turns them into desperate strivers, prepared to do anything to realize their ridiculous ambitions.
—David Byrne, The New Sins/Los Nuevos Pecados, 2001
Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall …
—William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, 1605
the virtue of wool as a clothing material is that it can provide insulation from the cold even when wet
a lady of honor and virtue
Recent Examples on the Web
Running is a means of developing all these good virtues and habits.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
Self respect/love is a strong virtue, tolerating belittling is toxic.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The Syclone may not have been fully appreciated during its day, but today, more than 30 years later, enthusiasts have caught onto its major virtues.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025
Instead, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention now posits that empathy is an artificial virtue.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for virtue
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
Self respect/love is a strong virtue, tolerating belittling is toxic.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The Syclone may not have been fully appreciated during its day, but today, more than 30 years later, enthusiasts have caught onto its major virtues.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025
Instead, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention now posits that empathy is an artificial virtue.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for virtue
Cite this Entry
“Virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virtue. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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Etymology
Middle English vertu, virtu "behavior that fits with what is right or moral," from early French virtu (same meaning), from Latin virtus "strength, virtue, manly quality," from vir "man, male" — related to virile
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