make a virtue of necessity

verb

To make the best of a difficult situation; to recast or portray an action or situation in which one has no alternatives as an action or situation which was deliberately chosen on its merits.

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Meanings

verbmake a virtue of necessity (third-person singular simple present makes a virtue of necessity, present participle making a virtue of necessity, simple past and past participle made a virtue of necessity)

present singular third person makes a virtue of necessity · participle present making a virtue of necessity · participle past made a virtue of necessity · past made a virtue of necessity

  1. idiomaticTo make the best of a difficult situation; to recast or portray an action or situation in which one has no alternatives as an action or situation which was deliberately chosen on its merits.

    Nietzsche, as I gather, regarded the slave-morality as having been invented and imposed on the world by slaves making a virtue of necessity and a religion of their servitude.

    1906, George Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara, Preface
    1 more example

    Indeed, because you are a banish'd man, Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you: Are you content to be our general? To make a virtue of necessity And live, as we do, in this wilderness?

    c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
abide byacquiesce

Translations

Czech z nouze ctnost
  • z nouze ctnostto make the best of a difficult situation
Dutch van de nood een deugd maken
  • van de nood een deugd makento make the best of a difficult situation
German aus der Not eine Tugend machen
  • aus der Not eine Tugend machento make the best of a difficult situation
Greek κάνω την ανάγκη φιλοτιμία
  • κάνω την ανάγκη φιλοτιμία (káno tin anágki filotimía)to make the best of a difficult situation
Hungarian a maga javára fordítja
  • a maga javára fordítjato make the best of a difficult situation
Italian fare di necessità virtù
  • fare di necessità virtùto make the best of a difficult situation
Spanish hacer de la necesidad virtud
  • hacer de la necesidad virtudto make the best of a difficult situation
Swedish göra en dygd av nödvändigheten
  • göra en dygd av nödvändighetento make the best of a difficult situation
Cite this entry
APA

make a virtue of necessity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20a%20virtue%20of%20necessity

MLA

“make a virtue of necessity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20a%20virtue%20of%20necessity. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make a virtue of necessity,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20a%20virtue%20of%20necessity.

Source: make a virtue of necessity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.