- [uncountable] (formal) behaviour or attitudes that show high moral standards
- He led a life of virtue.
- She was certainly no paragon of virtue (= her moral standards were very far from perfect).
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc1- It would have taken a paragon of virtue not to feel jealous.
- She was seen as a paragon of domestic virtue.
- She led a life of moral virtue.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cardinal
- great
- important
- …
- have
- possess
- embody
- …
- make a virtue of necessity
- a paragon of virtue
- [countable] a particular good quality or habit
- Patience is not one of her virtues, I'm afraid.
- As a politician, he always emphasized the virtues of compromise and conciliation.
Extra Examples- He taught his children to practise/practice the virtues of temperance and chastity.
- He understands the traditional virtue of hard work.
- Philippe embodies the French virtues of charm and grace.
- He was convinced of the inherent virtue of hard work.
- She has just one, negative virtue—she never tells lies.
- the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cardinal
- great
- important
- …
- have
- possess
- embody
- …
- make a virtue of necessity
- a paragon of virtue
- [countable, uncountable] an attractive or useful quality synonym advantage
- The plan has the virtue of simplicity.
- He was extolling the virtues of the internet.
- They could see no virtue in discussing it further.
Extra Examples- There is no inherent virtue in having read all the latest books.
- The brochure makes a positive virtue of the island's isolated position.
- There is, of course, no inherent virtue in moderation.
- a story celebrating the virtues of democracy
- He was going on about the virtues of the internet.
- Her book has the cardinal virtue of simplicity.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cardinal
- great
- important
- …
- have
- possess
- embody
- …
- make a virtue of necessity
- a paragon of virtue
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French vertu, from Latin virtus ‘valour, merit, moral perfection’, from vir ‘man’.
Idioms
See virtue in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee virtue in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishby/in virtue of something
- (formal) by means of or because of something
- She got the job by virtue of her greater experience.
make a virtue of something
- to manage to present as a good quality something that other people might consider to be bad
- There are artists who make a virtue of repetition.
make a virtue of necessity
- to manage to gain an advantage from something that you have to do and cannot avoid
- She decided to make a virtue of necessity and combined a business trip to Paris with a visit to her cousins there.
of easy virtue
- (old-fashioned, disapproving) willing to have sex with anyone
- a woman of easy virtue
virtue is its own reward
- (saying) the reward for acting in a moral or correct way is the knowledge that you have done so, and you should not expect more than this, for example praise from other people or payment
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