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virtuousness

virtuousness

1 6.9
Being honest and doing what is right
  • noun
  • /ˈvɜr.tʃu.əs.nəs/
translation icon : virtud
  • The teacher emphasized the importance of virtuousness in her lessons about honesty and integrity.

Examples

  • His virtuousness shone through when he chose to return the lost wallet he found.

  • The equation of healthy behaviors with virtuousness, and vice versa, can be more or less explicit.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Indeed, in the United States during the late nineteenth century, members of the Catholic hierarchy echoed that view of women by regularly praising unmarried Irish Catholic women workers for their virtuousness, their selflessness, and their religious devotion.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Brimming with freckle-faced children, outdoor hockey rinks, and a Kinsmen-sponsored winter beard-growing contest, it radiated wholesome small-town mainstream virtuousness.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The community praised her virtuousness for volunteering every weekend at the local shelter.

Synonyms

integrity
vsvirtuousness
447 4.3

Being honest and doing what is right

emphasizes broad high moral standards rather than only honesty
virtue
vsvirtuousness
259 3.8

A good personal quality like honesty or kindness

stresses ongoing right actions and high moral standards
decency
vsvirtuousness
155 3.0

Polite, respectful behavior that follows common social rules

focuses on higher moral standards and consistent right conduct beyond politeness
righteousness
vsvirtuousness
83 6.5

Being good and fair in how you act

focuses more on sustained high standards and ongoing right actions
goodness
vsvirtuousness
82 1.0

Kind, honest, and fair behaviour in a person

stresses active consistent adherence to high moral standards
rectitude
vsvirtuousness
  • Formal
6 8.8

Being honest and doing what is right

places more weight on consistent high standards in behavior
rightness
vsvirtuousness
6 5.1

A state of being morally good and fair in actions

adds emphasis on consistently meeting high moral standards
probity
vsvirtuousness
  • Formal
3 9.1

The quality of being honest and fair in actions and decisions

is broader focusing on high standards and consistent right action
uprightness
vsvirtuousness
1 5.6

Being honest and doing the right thing

emphasizes active consistent practice of high moral standards
nobleness
vsvirtuousness
  • Formal
1 6.6

Being kind and honest in a way people respect

centers on practical high standards and consistent right actions
high-mindedness
vsvirtuousness
  • Formal
1 8.1

Having strong moral ideas and trying to do what is right in actions

is more about everyday consistent moral behavior than lofty aims
moral excellence
vsvirtuousness
6.1

Being very good at doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong

is the same idea but emphasizes having high moral standards
rightfulness
vsvirtuousness
7.1

Being morally and legally correct and fair

stresses personal high moral standards and steady right conduct
honorableness
vsvirtuousness
  • US
7.4

A quality of being honest and fair that earns respect

focuses on ongoing right actions rather than only reputation
scrupulousness
vsvirtuousness
7.7

Careful attention to doing what is right and to small details

emphasizes overall high moral standards and consistent right behavior
noble-mindedness
vsvirtuousness
7.9

A quality of thinking and acting with high moral standards and fairness

focuses more on steady practice of high moral standards
decentness
vsvirtuousness
4.4

A quality that shows polite, honest behavior and neat clothes

stresses deep moral standards and consistent right action rather than mere propriety

Antonyms

731 6.2

A bad habit or behaviour that harms a person's character

36 4.6

A situation where people lose moral principles and act badly

How Virtuous

virtuousness
1 6.9
virtue
259 3.8
goodness
82 1.0
vice
731 6.2

Surface Forms

virtuousness singular

Morphology

virtuousness = virtuous (transparent) = virtue + ous + ness

A straightforward nominalization of the adjective 'virtuous' using the productive suffix '-ness', preserving the expected meaning.

Etymology

The word virtuousness comes from virtue, from the old Latin virtus meaning 'excellence' or 'moral strength' and related to vir meaning 'man'. So a good way to remember it is to think of virtuousness as being 'strong in doing right', which is why it means having high moral standards.