Vice vs. Virtue — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 1, 2023
Vice refers to immoral or harmful behaviors, while Virtue represents moral excellence and righteousness. They are opposite qualities, with Vice indicating flaws and Virtue denoting goodness.
Difference Between Vice and Virtue
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Vice often connotes actions, thoughts, or behaviors that are considered morally wrong or harmful. It is associated with negative habits, ethical lapses, and, in some contexts, can describe actions that are socially or legally unacceptable. On the other hand, Virtue stands for morally good characteristics or behaviors. Virtues are qualities that society values and encourages, representing the best of human nature.
Vice can also be a specific weakness or defect in one's character. It is that aspect of one's personality or actions that might lead them astray or harm others. For instance, greed, lust, and envy are often categorized as vices. In contrast, Virtue is a trait or quality deemed to be morally excellent. It can be inherent or cultivated, and examples include honesty, courage, and kindness.
When speaking of Vice, one might think of habits or actions that provide immediate gratification but can have long-term negative consequences. This can be in relation to personal health, relationships, or society as a whole. Whereas Virtue is about long-term good, even if it requires short-term sacrifice or discomfort. It's about making choices that uplift oneself and others.
In religious contexts, Vice is often positioned as a temptation or test for believers, something to be avoided or overcome. It represents the darker aspects of human nature that can lead one away from righteousness. Virtue, conversely, is seen as a path to spiritual enlightenment, a reflection of divine qualities within humans.
Finally, while Vice is often seen as something to be eradicated or controlled, Virtue is something to be pursued and nurtured. Society often rewards virtuous behavior and punishes or discourages vice, underscoring the inherent values attributed to each.
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Negative, immoral behavior
Positive, moral behavior
Social Perception
Generally frowned upon
Widely respected and encouraged
Consequence
Often leads to harm or regret
Leads to admiration, trust, and personal growth
Intrinsic Value
Short-term gratification, long-term detriment
Long-term benefit, often with short-term sacrifice
Representation
Flaws, temptations, weaknesses
Strengths, moral excellence, righteousness
Compare with Definitions
Vice
Immoral or wicked behavior.
His vice of gambling drained his savings.
Virtue
A morally good characteristic or behavior.
Honesty is a virtue everyone should uphold.
Vice
A fault or negative characteristic.
Procrastination was his main vice.
Virtue
An advantage or benefit.
The virtue of this software is its ease of use.
Vice
An immoral habit or practice.
Smoking became a vice he couldn't quit.
Virtue
Chastity, especially in a woman.
In older times, a woman's virtue was highly guarded.
Vice
A physical or moral blemish.
Dishonesty was the vice that ruined his reputation.
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.
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhealthy habit.
Virtue
Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness.
Vice
A practice or habit considered to be evil, degrading, or immoral
The vices of smoking and drinking.
Virtue
An example or kind of moral excellence
The virtue of patience.
Vice
Wicked or depraved conduct or habits; corruption
"sharpers, desperadoes, pirates, and criminals steeped in vice" (Carl Holliday).
Virtue
(Archaic) Chastity, especially in a woman.
Vice
Prostitution, the sale of illegal drugs, and certain other forms of usually nonviolent criminal behavior.
Virtue
A particularly efficacious, good, or beneficial quality; advantage
A plan with the virtue of being practical.
Vice
A slight personal failing; a foible
The vice of untidiness.
Virtue
Effective force or power
Believed in the virtue of prayer.
Vice
A flaw or imperfection; a defect
"Lady Hester remarked on the vice in his looks" (Edna O'Brien).
Virtue
Virtues(Christianity) The fifth of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.
Vice
Vice A character representing generalized or particular vice in English morality plays.
Virtue
(Obsolete) Manly courage; valor.
Vice
A jester or buffoon.
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.
Vice
Variant of vise.
Virtue
A particular manifestation of moral excellence in a person; an admirable quality.
Vice
In place of; replacing
Ms. Fine acted as treasurer, vice Mr. Smith.
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.
Vice
A bad habit.
Pride is a vice, not a virtue.
Smoking was a vice Sally picked up in high school.
Virtue
An inherently advantageous or excellent quality of something or someone; a favourable point, an advantage.
Vice
(legal) Any of various crimes related (depending on jurisdiction) to weapons, prostitution, pornography, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
Virtue
A creature embodying divine power, specifically one of the orders of heavenly beings, traditionally ranked above angels and below archangels.
Vice
Clip of vice squad
Virtue
(uncountable) Specifically, moral conduct in sexual behaviour, especially of women; chastity.
Vice
A defect in the temper or behaviour of a horse, such as to make the animal dangerous, to injure its health, or to diminish its usefulness.
Virtue
(obsolete) The inherent power of a god, or other supernatural being.
Vice
(UK) vise
Virtue
The inherent power or efficacy of something now only in phrases.
Vice
A tool for drawing lead into cames, or flat grooved rods, for casements.
Virtue
Manly strength or courage; bravery; daring; spirit; valor.
Built too strongFor force or virtue ever to expugn.
Vice
(architecture) A winding or spiral staircase.
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.
Vice
(obsolete) A grip or grasp.
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.
Vice
One who acts in place of a superior.
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.
Vice
Alternative spelling of vise
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.
Vice
In place of; subordinate to; designating a person below another in rank
Vice president
Vice admiral
Virtue
A particular moral excellence; as, the virtue of temperance, of charity, etc.
Vice
(dated) instead of, in place of, versus (sense 2)
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.
Vice
A defect; a fault; an error; a blemish; an imperfection; as, the vices of a political constitution; the vices of a horse.
Withouten vice of syllable or letter.
Mark the vice of the procedure.
Virtue
One of the orders of the celestial hierarchy.
Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers.
Vice
A moral fault or failing; especially, immoral conduct or habit, as in the indulgence of degrading appetites; customary deviation in a single respect, or in general, from a right standard, implying a defect of natural character, or the result of training and habits; a harmful custom; immorality; depravity; wickedness; as, a life of vice; the vice of intemperance.
I do confess the vices of my blood.
Ungoverned appetite . . . a brutish vice.
When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway,The post of honor is a private station.
Virtue
The quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong
Vice
The buffoon of the old English moralities, or moral dramas, having the name sometimes of one vice, sometimes of another, or of Vice itself; - called also Iniquity.
How like you the Vice in the play? . . . I would not give a rush for a Vice that has not a wooden dagger to snap at everybody.
Virtue
Any admirable quality or attribute;
Work of great merit
Vice
A kind of instrument for holding work, as in filing. Same as Vise.
Virtue
Morality with respect to sexual relations
Vice
A tool for drawing lead into cames, or flat grooved rods, for casements.
Virtue
A particular moral excellence
Vice
A gripe or grasp.
Virtue
Righteousness or purity.
She lived her life with virtue and grace.
Vice
To hold or squeeze with a vice, or as if with a vice.
The coachman's hand was viced between his upper and lower thigh.
Virtue
A commendable quality or trait.
Patience is a virtue when teaching children.
Vice
In the place of; in the stead; as, A. B. was appointed postmaster vice C. D. resigned.
Vice
Denoting one who in certain cases may assume the office or duties of a superior; designating an officer or an office that is second in rank or authority; as, vice president; vice agent; vice consul, etc.
Vice
Moral weakness
Vice
A specific form of evildoing;
Vice offends the moral standards of the community
Vice
A tool with jaws for holding work.
He secured the wood in the vice to cut it.
Common Curiosities
Can Vice be seen in a positive light?
While generally negative, "vice" in some contexts, like "vice president", doesn't denote immorality.
Are Virtues universally agreed upon?
While many virtues are universally admired, cultural variations can exist in what's considered virtuous.
Can a person have both Vices and Virtues?
Yes, everyone has strengths (virtues) and weaknesses (vices) in their character.
What is Vice?
Vice refers to immoral or harmful behaviors or actions.
What does Virtue mean?
Virtue represents moral excellence, goodness, or righteousness.
Are Vices always harmful?
Most vices have potential for harm, but the extent can vary based on frequency and severity.
Is Virtue always beneficial?
Generally, virtues lead to positive outcomes, but extreme or misapplied virtues can be detrimental.
How do societies generally view Virtue?
Societies value and encourage virtuous behavior, associating it with trustworthiness and moral character.
Can the definitions of Vice and Virtue evolve?
Yes, societal norms change over time, and what's considered vice or virtue can shift.
How can one reduce Vices in their life?
Self-awareness, self-discipline, and seeking support can help reduce vices.
How do societies generally view Vice?
Societies often discourage or punish vice due to its potentially harmful effects.
Are Virtues inherent or cultivated?
Both. While some might have a natural inclination toward a virtue, it can also be nurtured and developed.
How can one cultivate Virtue?
Reflecting on one's actions, seeking feedback, and practicing moral behaviors can cultivate virtue.
Are Vices inherent or learned?
Both. Some tendencies might be inherent, but environment and experiences play roles in developing vices.
How are Vice and Virtue portrayed in literature?
They're often personified, with vice representing antagonistic forces and virtue the protagonists or heroes.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
