morale

noun

mo·​rale mə-ˈral 

1

: moral principles, teachings, or conduct

2

a

: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand

The team's morale is high.

b

: a sense of common purpose with respect to a group : esprit de corps

The ship's morale improved after two days of shore leave.

3

: the level of individual psychological well-being based on such factors as a sense of purpose and confidence in the future

The failure of his play did not affect his morale.

Examples of morale in a Sentence

The team is playing well and their morale is high.

The President's speech boosted the morale of the troops.

Recent Examples on the Web

Commander Reid Wiseman later checked in with Mission Control in Houston, noting that morale on board remains high as the day’s work got underway. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026

On the flip side, slashing jobs and benefits means losing morale and talent, which could also have repercussions for taxpayers. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026

There are no must-wins in March or April, only morale boosts at the beginning of a marathon. —Chandler Rome, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026

Ninety percent of Walt Disney’s studio worked on morale-boosting. —Gil Troy, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

in sense 1, from French, from feminine of moral, adjective; in other senses, modification of French moral morale, from moral, adjective

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for morale

• canal
• chorale
• corral
• ghazal
• locale
• royale
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• pal
• sal

Kids Definition

morale

noun

mo·​rale mə-ˈral 

: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, spirit, or loyalty) of an individual or a group with regard to a task or goal to be accomplished