morality

noun mo·ral·i·ty \ mə-ˈra-lə-tē , mȯ- \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of morality

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

See morality defined for English-language learners

See morality defined for kids

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 of morality from the Web

What would be the experience be for a person of color to work for a man who advocated for the death penalty of five innocent black boys but equivocates the morality of white supremacists?

— taylor crumpton, Teen Vogue, "I Already Knew What the White House Intern Photo Showed Me," 6 Apr. 2018
Had the blurring of morality been the only difference, the show would not have revolutionized television.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Steven Bochco, who forever changed TV, dies at 74," 2 Apr. 2018
Had the blurring of morality been the only difference, the show would not have revolutionized television.

— fred barbash, chicagotribune.com, "Steven Bochco: The old cop shows left us satisfied. 'Hill Street Blues' left us heartbroken.," 2 Apr. 2018
If players in big-time college basketball (and football) could accept money that's already being offered, every conversation about the morality of college sports becomes 200% less melodramatic.

— andrew sharp, SI.com, "How Will the NBA Respond to the Corruption in College Basketball?," 23 Mar. 2018
No one religion speaks for morality of reproductive rights: Rabbi Robert A. Nosanchuk (Opinion) Guest Columnist Rabbi Robert A. Nosanchuk is a member of the board of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice of Ohio.

— guest columnist/cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Download your dependence on gadgets and get back in touch with you: Jim Kargakos (Opinion)," 18 Mar. 2018
Qui's restaurant in Houston, Aqui, which opened August 2017, has been a hot topic among foodies lately who are debating the morality of patronizing a restaurant owned by a chef facing allegations of domestic assault.

— greg morago, Houston Chronicle, "Chef Paul Qui's trial reset for May 1," 5 Feb. 2018
But the letters had come pouring in, threatening to reignite a debate on the morality of the war, the conduct of troops, the methods of counterinsurgency and the wide range of activities pointing toward an American invasion of Cambodia.

— jeff stein, Newsweek, "Did 'The Post' Get It Wrong? How the Cover-Up of a Green Beret Murder Led to the Pentagon Papers," 31 Jan. 2018
And, per Gallup, this correlates with an increased sense in the morality of the country as a whole.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "Satisfaction with the moral climate of the U.S. drops — except among Republicans," 25 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'morality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of morality

14th century

morality Synonyms

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

MORALITY Defined for English Language Learners

morality

noun

Definition of morality for English Language Learners

: beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior
: the degree to which something is right and good : the moral goodness or badness of something