Definition of MORAL (original) (raw)
1
a
: of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior : ethical
b
: expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior
c
: conforming to a standard of right behavior
took a moral position on the issue though it cost him the nomination
d
: sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment
e
: capable of right and wrong action
3
: perceptual or psychological rather than tangible or practical in nature or effect
1
a
: the moral significance or practical lesson (as of a story)
The moral of the story is to be satisfied with what you have.
b
: a passage pointing out usually in conclusion the lesson to be drawn from a story
2
morals plural
a
: moral practices or teachings : modes of conduct
an authoritative code of morals has force and effect when it expresses the settled customs of a stable society—
Walter Lippmann
b
: ethics
the science of morals endeavors to divide men into the good and the bad—J. W. Krutch
3
: morale
The casualties did not shake the moral of the soldiers.
Did you know?
Ethics and morals are both used in the plural and are often regarded as synonyms, but there is some distinction in how they are used.
Morals often describes one's particular values concerning what is right and what is wrong:
It would go against my morals to help you cheat on the test.
He appears to view himself as a kind of culture warrior, striking out against the crumbling morals of modern society.
Jonathan Goldsbie, Now Toronto, 16 Oct. 2014
While ethics can refer broadly to moral principles, one often sees it applied to questions of correct behavior within a relatively narrow area of activity:
Our class had a debate over the ethics of genetic testing.
Anybody, it seemed, could make the music -- if they couldn't play guitar, they could push a button -- and nobody worried about the ethics of appropriating riffs.
Jennifer Foote, Newsweek, 23 July 1990
In addition, morals usually connotes an element of subjective preference, while ethics tends to suggest aspects of universal fairness and the question of whether or not an action is responsible:
Perhaps you don’t like Kim Kardashian, or her family, or her morals don’t align with yours, or you just think it’s weird that she might have had some plastic surgery, likes to apply makeup in a really complicated way and named her kid “Saint.”
Sarah Boboltz, The Huffington Post, 12 Oct. 2016The Frenches, both professors in The Media School, focused on the ethics of making medical decisions for a child who could not express her own wishes yet…
Chris Mura, Indiana Daily Student, 18 Oct. 2016
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for moral
moral, ethical, virtuous, righteous, noble mean conforming to a standard of what is right and good.
moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong.
the basic moral values of a community
ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity.
committed to the highest ethical principles
virtuous implies moral excellence in character.
not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless
righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious.
wished to be righteous before God and the world
noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character.
had the noblest of reasons for seeking office
Examples of moral in a Sentence
Adjective
Nor did these lawyers and bankers walk about suffused with guilt. They had the moral equivalent of teflon on their soul. Church on Sunday, foreclose on Monday. —Norman Mailer, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002 … trip-wire sensitivity to perceived insult often leads to unjustifiable firings and other moral and legal imbroglios. —John McWhorter, New Republic, 14 Jan. 2002 The modern liberal state was premised on the notion that in the interests of political peace, government would not take sides among the differing moral claims made by religion and traditional culture. —Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999 It was our desire for a moral world, the deep wish to assert the existence of goodness, that generated, as it continues to do, political fantasy. —Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
The author avoids making moral judgments. Each story teaches an important moral lesson. He felt that he had a moral obligation to help the poor. We're confident she has the moral fiber to make the right decision. Their behavior was not moral. Animals are not moral creatures and are not responsible for their actions. Noun
The moral of the story is to be satisfied with what you have. The moral here is: pay attention to the warning lights in your car. Socrates was accused of corrupting the morals of the youth of Athens. The author points to recent cases of fraud as evidence of the lack of morals in the business world.
Recent Examples on the Web
Some people see happiness as a hindrance to moral or creative growth. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 For voters, this means that the moral character of presidential candidates is now, more than ever, an essential qualification. —Christine Adams / Made By History, TIME, 16 Sep. 2024
The gist is that our cruel and unforgiving world has given rise to an ultra-secret clan of mercenaries who will kill anyone for the right price, regardless of morals. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2024 The result is a noir-ish but meditative spy novel about greed, morals and climate change; its short chapters propel the action with a healthy dose of sardonic humor. —Stuart Miller, Orange County Register, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for moral 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin moralis, from mor-, mos custom
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
circa 1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of moral was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near moral
Cite this Entry
“Moral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moral. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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Last Updated: 20 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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