virtuous

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vir·tu·ous

(vûr′cho͞o-əs)

adj.

1. Having or showing virtue, especially moral excellence: led a virtuous life. See Synonyms at moral.

2. Archaic Chaste: a virtuous woman.

vir′tu·ous·ly adv.

vir′tu·ous·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

virtuous

(ˈvɜːtʃʊəs)

adj

1. characterized by or possessing virtue or moral excellence; righteous; upright

2. (of women) chaste or virginal

ˈvirtuously adv

ˈvirtuousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

vir•tu•ous

(ˈvɜr tʃu əs)

adj.

1. conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright.

2. chaste: a virtuous young person.

[1300–50; vertuous < Anglo-French < Late Latin virtuōsus= Latin virtu(s) virtue + -ōsus -ous]

vir′tu•ous•ly, adv.

vir′tu•ous•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	virtuous - morally excellent chaste - morally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse); "a holy woman innocent and chaste" good - morally admirable moral - concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles; "moral sense"; "a moral scrutiny"; "a moral lesson"; "a moral quandary"; "moral convictions"; "a moral life" pious - having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity; "pious readings" righteous - characterized by or proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice; "the...prayer of a righteous man availeth much"- James 5:16 wicked - morally bad in principle or practice
	2.	virtuous - in a state of sexual virginity; "pure and vestal modesty"; "a spinster or virgin lady"; "men have decreed that their women must be pure and virginal" vestal, virgin, virginal, pure chaste - morally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse); "a holy woman innocent and chaste"

virtuous

adjective

1. good, moral, ethical, upright, honourable, excellent, pure, worthy, honest, righteous, exemplary, squeaky-clean, blameless, praiseworthy, incorruptible, high-principled The president is portrayed as a virtuous family man.
good evil, corrupt, immoral, vicious, dishonest, wicked, sinful, depraved, debauched, unrighteous

2. chaste, pure, innocent, celibate, spotless, virginal, clean-living a prince who falls in love with a beautiful and virtuous maiden
chaste loose, promiscuous, impure, unchaste

3. self-righteous, pleased with yourself, smug I cleaned the flat, which left me feeling very virtuous.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

virtuous

adjective

1. In accordance with principles of right or good conduct:

ethical, moral, principled, proper, right, righteous, rightful, right-minded.

2. Morally beyond reproach, especially in sexual conduct:

chaste, decent, modest, nice, pure, virgin, virginal.

Translations

عَفيف، طاهِر، ذو فَضيلَه

ctnostný

anstændigdydig

dyggîugur

dürüsterdemlifaziletli

品行端正的有道德的

virtuous

[ˈvɜːtjʊəs] ADJ → virtuoso

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

virtuous

[ˈvɜː^rtʃuəs] adj → vertueux/eusevirtuous circle n → cercle m vertueux

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

virtuous

adj

→ tugendhaft, tugendsam

(pej: = self-satisfied, righteous) person, attitude → selbstgerecht

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

virtuous

[ˈvɜːtjʊəs] adj → virtuoso/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

virtue

(ˈvəːtʃuː) noun

1. a good moral quality. Honesty is a virtue.

2. a good quality. The house is small, but it has the virtue of being easy to clean.

3. goodness of character etc. She is a person of great virtue.

ˈvirtuous adjective

morally good. She is a virtuous young woman.

ˈvirtuously adverb

ˈvirtuousness noun

References in classic literature ?

At you, ye virtuous ones, laughed my beauty to-day.

this is my sorrow: into the basis of things have reward and punishment been insinuated--and now even into the basis of your souls, ye virtuous ones!

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And that thou mayest clearly see this, say, Anselmo, hast thou not told me that I must force my suit upon a modest woman, decoy one that is virtuous, make overtures to one that is pure-minded, pay court to one that is prudent?

Remember there is no jewel in the world so precious as a chaste and virtuous woman, and that the whole honour of women consists in reputation; and since thy wife's is of that high excellence that thou knowest, wherefore shouldst thou seek to call that truth in question?

View in context

"And that she is pure and virtuous goes without question?"

"My dear son, your father has decided to read us the chapter in Proverbs in praise of a virtuous wife.

View in context

In a word, as the whole relation is carefully garbled of all the levity and looseness that was in it, so it all applied, and with the utmost care, to virtuous and religious uses.

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for he who is intemperate [1260a] and a coward will never do what he ought: it is evident then that both parties ought to be virtuous; but there is a difference between them, as there is between those who by nature command and who by nature obey, and this originates in the soul; for in this nature has planted the governing and submitting principle, the virtues of which we say are different, as are those of a rational and an irrational being.

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I know no sort of lying which is more frequent in Vanity Fair than this, and it may be remarked how people who practise it take credit to themselves for their hypocrisy, and fancy that they are exceedingly virtuous and praiseworthy, because they are able to deceive the world with regard to the extent of their means.

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He felt curious to know what was going to happen and what would be revealed to him; but most of all, he felt joyful that the moment had come when he would at last start on that path of regeneration and on the actively virtuous life of which he had been dreaming since he met Joseph Alexeevich.

View in context

But Benjamin's virtuous indignation was so very virtuous that it let the spirit of mischief loose in me.

View in context

Her orders were indeed so liberal, that, had it been a child of her own, she could not have exceeded them; but, lest the virtuous reader may condemn her for showing too great regard to a base-born infant, to which all charity is condemned by law as irreligious, we think proper to observe that she concluded the whole with saying, "Since it was her brother's whim to adopt the little brat, she supposed little master must be treated with great tenderness.