Integrity vs. Virtue — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 8, 2024
Integrity involves adherence to moral and ethical principles, focusing on honesty and consistency of actions; virtue encompasses a broader range of moral excellence, including qualities like kindness and bravery.
Difference Between Integrity and Virtue
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Integrity is about consistently adhering to ethical and moral principles, ensuring one's actions align with their beliefs and promises. Virtue, on the other hand, encompasses a wider range of moral qualities, which can include everything from courage to temperance.
Integrity is often seen as a personal trait reflecting honesty and straightforwardness in one’s conduct, whereas virtues are considered more as qualities that define moral excellence and are often admired in others.
Integrity demands truthfulness and sincerity, essential for trustworthiness in relationships and professions. Meanwhile, virtues such as compassion or bravery might not directly relate to truthfulness but play a crucial role in societal interactions and personal development.
Integrity can be viewed as a foundational aspect of one’s character that supports the practice of virtues, while virtues themselves are the specific characteristics that guide ethical and moral judgment.
In professional settings, integrity is particularly valued as it influences ethical decision-making and accountability; virtues like diligence and responsibility also shape professional conduct but through a broader ethical lens.
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Integrity and virtue both contribute to an individual's moral framework, but integrity is about the consistency of actions with moral values, and virtue about the presence of moral qualities.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Adherence to moral and ethical principles
Possession of moral excellence
Key Qualities
Honesty, consistency
Kindness, bravery, compassion
Role in Personal Growth
Ensures actions align with moral beliefs
Develops and demonstrates moral qualities
Influence in Relationships
Builds trust through honesty and reliability
Enhances interactions through moral actions
Application in Profession
Critical for trust and ethical decision-making
Guides overall ethical and moral judgment
Compare with Definitions
Integrity
Adherence to moral and ethical principles.
She showed her integrity by refusing to cheat on the test.
Virtue
A quality considered morally good or desirable in a person.
Patience is a virtue that he cultivates diligently.
Integrity
Soundness of moral character.
Her integrity made her a trusted leader among her peers.
Virtue
Theoretical or practical excellence of a person.
She practiced her virtues through both thought and deed.
Integrity
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
His integrity is respected by everyone in the office.
Virtue
A commendable quality or trait.
His virtue of honesty made him well-liked.
Integrity
Consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, and principles.
The leader’s integrity was evident in all his policies.
Virtue
Behavior showing high moral standards.
He is known for his virtue and generosity.
Integrity
The state of being whole and undivided.
The integrity of the data was maintained despite the system crash.
Virtue
Moral excellence.
Her acts of kindness and charity exemplified her virtue.
Integrity
Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions.
Virtue
Virtue (Latin: virtus) is a moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being.
Integrity
Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code
A leader of great integrity.
Virtue
Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness.
Integrity
The state of being unimpaired; soundness
The building's integrity remained intact following the mild earthquake.
Virtue
An example or kind of moral excellence
The virtue of patience.
Integrity
The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness
Replaced a lost book to restore the integrity of his collection.
Virtue
(Archaic) Chastity, especially in a woman.
Integrity
Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
Virtue
A particularly efficacious, good, or beneficial quality; advantage
A plan with the virtue of being practical.
Integrity
The state of being wholesome; unimpaired
Virtue
Effective force or power
Believed in the virtue of prayer.
Integrity
The quality or condition of being complete; pure
Virtue
Virtues(Christianity) The fifth of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.
Integrity
(cryptography) With regards to data encryption, ensuring that information is not altered by unauthorized persons in a way that is not detectable by authorized users.
Virtue
(Obsolete) Manly courage; valor.
Integrity
(aviation) The ability of systems to provide timely warnings to users when they should not be used for navigation.
Virtue
(uncountable) Accordance with moral principles; conformity of behaviour or thought with the strictures of morality; good moral conduct.
Without virtue, there is no freedom.
Integrity
Trustworthiness; keeping your word.
Virtue
A particular manifestation of moral excellence in a person; an admirable quality.
Integrity
The state or quality of being entire or complete; wholeness; entireness; unbroken state; as, the integrity of an empire or territory.
Virtue
Specifically, each of several qualities held to be particularly important, including the four cardinal virtues, the three theological virtues, or the seven virtues opposed to the seven deadly sins.
Integrity
Moral soundness; honesty; freedom from corrupting influence or motive; - used especially with reference to the fulfillment of contracts, the discharge of agencies, trusts, and the like; uprightness; rectitude.
The moral grandeur of independent integrity is the sublimest thing in nature.
Their sober zeal, integrity, and worth.
Virtue
An inherently advantageous or excellent quality of something or someone; a favourable point, an advantage.
Integrity
Unimpaired, unadulterated, or genuine state; entire correspondence with an original condition; purity.
Language continued long in its purity and integrity.
Virtue
A creature embodying divine power, specifically one of the orders of heavenly beings, traditionally ranked above angels and below archangels.
Integrity
An unreduced or unbroken completeness or totality
Virtue
(obsolete) The inherent power of a god, or other supernatural being.
Integrity
Moral soundness
Virtue
The inherent power or efficacy of something now only in phrases.
Virtue
Manly strength or courage; bravery; daring; spirit; valor.
Built too strongFor force or virtue ever to expugn.
Virtue
Active quality or power; capacity or power adequate to the production of a given effect; energy; strength; potency; efficacy; as, the virtue of a medicine.
Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about.
A man was driven to depend for his security against misunderstanding, upon the pure virtue of his syntax.
The virtue of his midnight agony.
Virtue
Energy or influence operating without contact of the material or sensible substance.
She moves the body which she doth possess,Yet no part toucheth, but by virtue's touch.
Virtue
Excellence; value; merit; meritoriousness; worth.
I made virtue of necessity.
In the Greek poets, . . . the economy of poems is better observed than in Terence, who thought the sole grace and virtue of their fable the sticking in of sentences.
Virtue
Specifically, moral excellence; integrity of character; purity of soul; performance of duty.
Virtue only makes our bliss below.
If there's Power above us,And that there is all nature cries aloudThrough all her works, he must delight in virtue.
Virtue
A particular moral excellence; as, the virtue of temperance, of charity, etc.
Virtue
Specifically: Chastity; purity; especially, the chastity of women; virginity.
H. I believe the girl has virtue.M. And if she has, I should be the last man in the world to attempt to corrupt it.
Virtue
One of the orders of the celestial hierarchy.
Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers.
Virtue
The quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong
Virtue
Any admirable quality or attribute;
Work of great merit
Virtue
A particular moral excellence
Common Curiosities
What are some examples of virtues?
Examples of virtues include kindness, bravery, compassion, and honesty.
What is the main focus of integrity?
The main focus of integrity is the consistent adherence to ethical and moral principles.
How does integrity affect relationships?
Integrity builds trust and reliability in relationships through consistent and honest actions.
What virtue is often seen as foundational to others?
Honesty is often viewed as a foundational virtue that supports other moral qualities.
Why is integrity important in professional settings?
Integrity is crucial in professional settings as it builds trust and facilitates ethical decision-making.
How does virtue differ from integrity in personal development?
Virtue encompasses a range of moral qualities for personal development, while integrity specifically involves honesty and consistency in actions.
Can a person be virtuous without having integrity?
While somewhat interconnected, it's possible to exhibit certain virtues without full integrity, as integrity requires consistent honesty and moral behavior.
Are integrity and virtue mutually exclusive?
No, they are not mutually exclusive; integrity can support the practice of various virtues.
How can someone improve their integrity?
Improving integrity involves consistently aligning actions with ethical and moral values, even in challenging situations.
How do virtues influence one's character?
Virtues shape and refine one's moral character by embodying ethical qualities.
What role does virtue play in society?
Virtues guide behavior and interactions, contributing to the moral fabric of society.
Is integrity innate or can it be developed?
Integrity can be developed through conscious choices and actions that align with moral principles.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
