morality

noun

mo·​ral·​i·​ty mə-ˈra-lə-tē 

mȯ-

plural moralities

1

a

: a moral discourse, statement, or lesson

ended his lecture with a trite morality

b

: a literary or other imaginative work teaching a moral lesson

"Aesop's Fables" is famous as a morality.

2

a

: a doctrine or system of moral conduct

the basic law which an adequate morality ought to state

—Marjorie Grene

b

moralities plural : particular moral principles or rules of conduct

we were all brought up on one of these moralities

—Psychiatry

3

: conformity to ideals of right human conduct

admitted the expediency of the law but questioned its morality

4

: moral conduct : virtue

morality today involves a responsible relationship toward the laws of the natural world

—P. B. Sears

Synonyms

• virtue
• integrity
• honesty
• goodness
• morals
• ethics
• character
• rightness

Examples of morality in a Sentence

The group is calling for a return to traditional morality.

two groups with clashing moralities

The decision may be legally justified, but I question its morality.

Recent Examples on the Web

For Iranians themselves, it’s been a deeply frustrating recurring cycle, most recently experienced in the protests in 2022 that followed the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been detained by the religious morality police. —Eric Edelman, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2025

Iranian morality police had detained Amini, a Kurdish Iranian woman, for not wearing the hijab properly. —Sara Monetta, NBC news, 19 June 2025

Mass protests also broke out in the autumn of 2022 after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old, died while detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. —Ruth Marks Eglash, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025

Class disparities are explored, and boats bob in marinas as characters grapple with their own morality and mortality. —Ashley Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing morality

• morality play

Rhymes for morality

• banality
• bestiality
• brutality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• fatality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality

Kids Definition

morality

noun

mo·​ral·​i·​ty mə-ˈral-ət-ē 

plural moralities

1

: moral quality : virtue

judge the morality of an action

2

: a system of moral rules