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
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
The president recognized a perfect nominee for the times: a brilliant jurist who represented the best of American virtues and exhibited no vices or controversial positions on judicial issues (as had Bork three years earlier).
—Barbara A. Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
And as someone who is trying to make an NFL roster or practice squad, that’s an immense virtue.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2025
By virtue of finishing with the NBA's fifth-worst record this year, the Sixers have a 10.5% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick, trailing only the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets (14% each) and New Orleans Pelicans (12.5%).
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
The City of God, written over the space of around 13 years, was written partly to rebut the allegation that Christianity was responsible for the collapse of an empire, that its adoption had led to a weakening of the virtues that had powered Rome to global dominance.
—Anna Rowlands, Time, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for virtue
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Barbara A. Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
And as someone who is trying to make an NFL roster or practice squad, that’s an immense virtue.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2025
By virtue of finishing with the NBA's fifth-worst record this year, the Sixers have a 10.5% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick, trailing only the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets (14% each) and New Orleans Pelicans (12.5%).
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
The City of God, written over the space of around 13 years, was written partly to rebut the allegation that Christianity was responsible for the collapse of an empire, that its adoption had led to a weakening of the virtues that had powered Rome to global dominance.
—Anna Rowlands, Time, 12 May 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 19 May. 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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