also: そう
He remained true to his principles throughout his life.
chastity; faithfulness (of a woman)
Specifically refers to a woman's sexual fidelity or faithfulness to her husband. Often used in traditional or literary contexts.
Women in the past valued faithfulness to their husbands above all else.
She never let her chastity be violated.
She was known as a woman of unshakable fidelity.
節操 stresses consistency of one's principles or convictions, while 操（みさお）leans more toward personal moral or sexual fidelity.
忠誠 means loyalty to a person, group, or cause, whereas 操（みさお）emphasizes an individual's inner moral constancy.
不貞 means infidelity or unchastity, the direct opposite of the faithfulness described by 操（みさお）.
操る shares the kanji 操 but is read あやつる and means 'to manipulate or control,' unrelated to the fidelity sense of 操（みさお）.
Standard kanji form for the reading みさお. High-frequency news kanji.
Alternate reading そう is rare and mostly found in compounds or classical contexts.
The kanji 操 carries meanings of 'manipulate' or 'conduct', but in this reading みさお it is used for moral steadfastness. The exact derivation of みさお is uncertain; it may be a native Japanese word later associated with this kanji.