virtuously

adverb

Definition of virtuouslynext
as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed lived simply and virtuously

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of virtuously Some of us virtuously recycle items that will be transported across the world to smother island nations in single-use plastic bags and water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs, pet food and potato chip bags, Styrofoam meat trays, Coke bottles, Amazon mailing envelopes, and fast-food wrappers. — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026 The glorious sweep of progress toward Roman civilization and prosperity means the end of an idyllic, virtuously rustic Golden Age. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for virtuously
  1. innocently
  2. chastely
  3. properly
  4. purely
  5. morally
  6. righteously
Adverb
  • Their amalgamation with the other color produces a degradation to which no lover of his country, no lover of excellence in the human character can innocently consent.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • It was innocently posted by motorsports reporter Cole Cusumano, who was there covering the race.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of innocently
Adverb
  • Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.
    — Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of chastely
Adverb
  • But behind the scenes, the health secretary has continued to seek evidence for his theory that many vaccines have not been properly tested and can cause a range of dangerous side effects, according to eight of the current and former officials.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • The original design files were created roughly half a century ago, but as Gelfond alludes to, they were never properly maintained.
    — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 16 July 2026
Definition of properly
Adverb
  • Fabricating a purely electromechanical robot at the millimeter scale requires intricate, heavy motors that consume significant power, typically draining tiny batteries within mere minutes of operation.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 July 2026
  • This is where the argument stops being purely theological and starts being something else.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 July 2026
Definition of purely
Adverb
  • Treating Israel’s military response and Hamas’ actions as morally equivalent—as the warrants effectively did—was a profound miscarriage of justice against a democracy fighting a defensive war under difficult urban conditions.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Matt Damon plays Odysseus as a gruff, practical tactician, rather than an energetically inventive and morally dubious schemer.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of morally
Adverb
  • With raping, raving misogynists in the highest offices and loudest cultural bandwidths of the world, women of all classes have cause to be righteously filled with rage, betrayal, and disappointment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
  • The darkly comic crime drama pits Frances McDormand's righteously furious mom against a police force that hasn't caught her daughter's killer.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of righteously

Browse Nearby Words

virtuous
virtuously
virtuousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Virtuously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/virtuously. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All