# virtue

/ˈvɝtʃu/ (US) · /vˈɜːtʃuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/virtue
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. moral excellence

noun · CEFR B2

behavior that shows high moral standards and goodness.

For teachers: conformity to a standard of right; moral excellence and integrity.

- He was a man of great virtue who always helped those in need.
- The philosopher argued that true virtue is not merely the absence of vice but the active pursuit of the common good.

### 2. a good quality

noun · CEFR B2

a particular good quality or habit that a person has.

For teachers: a specific commendable quality or trait of character.

- Patience is a virtue when you are dealing with difficult customers.
- Among her many virtues, her ability to remain calm under extreme pressure was perhaps the most valuable to the legal team.

### 3. an advantage

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

an advantage or a useful feature that something has.

For teachers: an inherently advantageous or beneficial quality of an object, system, or idea.

- The main virtue of this new software is that it is very easy to use.
- The committee debated the virtues of the proposed high-speed rail link, weighing the environmental benefits against the projected construction costs.

### 4. chastity

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

traditional moral behavior regarding sex, especially for women.

For teachers: moral excellence in sexual conduct; specifically, a woman's virginity or chastity.

- In old stories, the hero often fights to protect a lady's virtue.
- The nineteenth-century novel often centered on the social consequences of a protagonist's perceived loss of virtue.

### 5. by virtue of

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

because of something or by using something.

For teachers: used in the fixed phrase 'by virtue of' to indicate a cause, reason, or means.

- She got the job by virtue of her many years of experience in the field.
- The court ruled that the defendant was entitled to a refund by virtue of the consumer protection laws enacted the previous year.

Usage: Always used with the preposition 'of' followed by a noun phrase.

## Examples

- Patience is a virtue when you are teaching children.
- The main virtue of this new software is its ability to run on older computers without crashing.
- Classical philosophers often debated which virtue was most essential for a leader, usually placing justice and wisdom at the top of the hierarchy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.