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

And its morality is the respectability politics of the model minority. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

These are primal thrills most viewers can get behind, and having to slow down to explain the morality behind them makes for languid viewing. — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 21 Sep. 2026

Four years ago this week, a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Jina Amini died after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s compulsory hijab rules. — Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

In a climate which increasingly tells people in these farmers communities that those two values are not politically aligned, sustainable farmers of faith told me that Berry validated their own sense of morality. — Sydney Giacalone, The Conversation, 17 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