morality

noun

mo·​ral·​i·​ty mə-ˈra-lə-tē 

mȯ-

plural moralities

1

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

2

: conformity to ideals of right human conduct

admitted the expediency of the law but questioned its morality

3

: moral conduct : virtue

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

—P. B. Sears

4

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.

Synonyms of morality

• 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

As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Is the morality fable at the end an allegory of purgatory or hell? — The Week Us, TheWeek, 15 Sep. 2026

The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad — these were dramas about institutions, morality, and power, all told through the highest cinematic craft. — Henry Metz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

The McLuhanite in me wants to stick to the first interpretation, in which the apparent shift in shame is a matter of morality getting funnelled through a new medium. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

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