Can a constructor be a virtual method?

In C++, a constructor cannot be a virtual method. Virtual functions are intended to provide polymorphism through late binding, but constructors are called when an object is created and cannot be virtual.

Reasons:

• During the constructor call, the object is not fully created yet, and the virtual table (vtable) is not initialized, so virtual calls are impossible.
• To ensure proper initialization of base classes, constructors are called in a fixed order, without polymorphism.

If virtual initialization is needed, the "virtual constructor" pattern is usually used through factory methods or virtual functions called after the object is created.