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
Marjorie Grene
b
moralities plural
: particular moral principles or rules of conduct
… we were all brought up on one of these moralities …—Psychiatry
Psychiatry2
: 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
P. B. Sears4
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.
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
Now, that sounds like a great little morality table — tale at this point.
—Alex Crippen, CNBC, 25 Dec. 2025
Baudelaire and his publisher were prosecuted and fined for offending public morality, and several poems were outright banned, removed from later editions.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
The novel captures those stresses and how every decision seems to have outsized consequences, forcing people to choose between their sense of morality and quest for survival.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 22 Dec. 2025
The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a morality fable that poses the thought that, in the search for love and social standing, are even the purest of heart safe from corruption?
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for morality
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Alex Crippen, CNBC, 25 Dec. 2025
Baudelaire and his publisher were prosecuted and fined for offending public morality, and several poems were outright banned, removed from later editions.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
The novel captures those stresses and how every decision seems to have outsized consequences, forcing people to choose between their sense of morality and quest for survival.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 22 Dec. 2025
The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a morality fable that poses the thought that, in the search for love and social standing, are even the purest of heart safe from corruption?
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for morality
Cite this Entry
“Morality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morality. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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