virtue
noun
vir·tue
ˈvər-(ˌ)chü 
1
a
: 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
Synonyms
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
This is why prominent bioethicists have long emphasized trustworthiness as a central virtue of good clinicians.
—Daniel T. Kim, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2025
The strong showing marked the fourth consecutive season in which Nazareth advanced to the state finals by virtue of a strong sectional showing, this time a second-place finish at the Maine East Sectional.
—Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
Getting her start in film by the age of twenty, Gómez displayed the virtue of precocity.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Of course, cognitive dissonance makes the world go ‘round, and preaching the virtues of responsible gambling while serving as a sort of virtual, non-thumb-breaking bookie is fairly innocuous compared to [gestures at everything].
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for virtue 
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Daniel T. Kim, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2025
The strong showing marked the fourth consecutive season in which Nazareth advanced to the state finals by virtue of a strong sectional showing, this time a second-place finish at the Maine East Sectional.
—Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
Getting her start in film by the age of twenty, Gómez displayed the virtue of precocity.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Of course, cognitive dissonance makes the world go ‘round, and preaching the virtues of responsible gambling while serving as a sort of virtual, non-thumb-breaking bookie is fairly innocuous compared to [gestures at everything].
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for virtue
Articles Related to virtue
Dictionary Entries Near virtue
Cite this Entry
“Virtue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virtue. Accessed 8 Feb. 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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