virtue

noun

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vir·tue | \ ˈvər-(ˌ)chü

Definition of virtue

1a : conformity to a standard of right : morality

b : a particular moral excellence

2 : a beneficial quality or power of a thing

3 : manly strength or courage : valor

4 : a commendable quality or trait : merit

5 : a capacity to act : potency

6 : chastity especially in a woman

7 virtues plural : an order of angels — see celestial hierarchy

by virtue of or in virtue of

: through the force of : by authority of

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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

Recent Examples on the Web Extensive research shows that humans, by virtue of being social animals, are influenced both by others’ action and by a desire for sociability itself. — Jan Dutkiewicz, The New Republic, 28 July 2021 Wheaties got its start in 1921 by virtue of a fluke. — David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 July 2021 Is Iron Clad off the hook by virtue of that clause in its four and half-page contract? — BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2021 By virtue of having its own state OSHA, rather than relying on the federal equivalent to do the job as 28 other states do, Oregon can have stricter rules and broader enforcement. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive, 25 July 2021 By virtue of his Saturday 75, former Gophers golfer Erik van Rooyen plummeted down the leaderboard and was in Sunday's first group off the tee. — Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune, 25 July 2021 By contrast, self-esteem is like a medal that one pins to one’s own chest merely by virtue of existing. — WSJ, 16 July 2021 Next week, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is planning to fulfill a childhood ambition, one made possible by virtue of his status as one of the richest men in the world. — Andy Meek, BGR, 12 July 2021 By virtue of its recent 12-1 victory over Boca Raton at Sugar Sand Park, the West Boynton sluggers advanced to sectionals and the second stop on the road to Williamsport, Pennsylvania and the Little League World Series. — Rick Menning, sun-sentinel.com, 9 July 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'virtue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.