moral

adjective

mor·al | \ ˈmȯr-əl ,

ˈmär- \

Definition of moral

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior : ethical moral judgments

b : expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior a moral poem

c : conforming to a standard of right behavior took a moral position on the issue though it cost him the nomination

d : sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment a moral obligation

e : capable of right and wrong action a moral agent

2 : probable though not proved : virtual a moral certainty

3 : perceptual or psychological rather than tangible or practical in nature or effect a moral victory moral support

moral

noun

mor·al | \ ˈmȯr-əl ,

ˈmär- ; sense 3 is mə-ˈral \

Definition of moral (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the moral significance or practical lesson (as of a story) The moral of the story is to be satisfied with what you have.

b : a passage pointing out usually in conclusion the lesson to be drawn from a story

2 morals plural

a : moral practices or teachings : modes of conduct an authoritative code of morals has force and effect when it expresses the settled customs of a stable society —Walter Lippmann

b : ethics the science of morals endeavors to divide men into the good and the bad —J. W. Krutch

3 : morale The casualties did not shake the moral of the soldiers.

Other Words from moral Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Ethics vs Morals: Is there a difference? More Example Sentences Learn More about moral

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Choose the Right Synonym for moral

Adjective

moral, ethical, virtuous, righteous, noble mean conforming to a standard of what is right and good. moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong. the basic moral values of a community ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity. committed to the highest ethical principles virtuous implies moral excellence in character. not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious. wished to be righteous before God and the world noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character. had the noblest of reasons for seeking office

Ethics vs Morals: Is there a difference?

Ethics and morals are both used in the plural and are often regarded as synonyms, but there is some distinction in how they are used.

Morals often describes one's particular values concerning what is right and what is wrong:

It would go against my morals to help you cheat on the test.

He appears to view himself as a kind of culture warrior, striking out against the crumbling morals of modern society.
Jonathan Goldsbie, Now Toronto, 16 Oct. 2014

While ethics can refer broadly to moral principles, one often sees it applied to questions of correct behavior within a relatively narrow area of activity:

Our class had a debate over the ethics of genetic testing.

Anybody, it seemed, could make the music -- if they couldn't play guitar, they could push a button -- and nobody worried about the ethics of appropriating riffs.
Jennifer Foote, Newsweek, 23 July 1990

In addition, morals usually connotes an element of subjective preference, while ethics tends to suggest aspects of universal fairness and the question of whether or not an action is responsible:

Perhaps you don’t like Kim Kardashian, or her family, or her morals don’t align with yours, or you just think it’s weird that she might have had some plastic surgery, likes to apply makeup in a really complicated way and named her kid “Saint.”
Sarah Boboltz, The Huffington Post, 12 Oct. 2016

The Frenches, both professors in The Media School, focused on the ethics of making medical decisions for a child who could not express her own wishes yet…
Chris Mura, Indiana Daily Student, 18 Oct. 2016

Examples of moral in a Sentence

Adjective

Nor did these lawyers and bankers walk about suffused with guilt. They had the moral equivalent of teflon on their soul. Church on Sunday, foreclose on Monday. —Norman Mailer, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002 … trip-wire sensitivity to perceived insult often leads to unjustifiable firings and other moral and legal imbroglios. —John McWhorter, New Republic, 14 Jan. 2002 The modern liberal state was premised on the notion that in the interests of political peace, government would not take sides among the differing moral claims made by religion and traditional culture. —Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999 It was our desire for a moral world, the deep wish to assert the existence of goodness, that generated, as it continues to do, political fantasy. —Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987 The author avoids making moral judgments. Each story teaches an important moral lesson. He felt that he had a moral obligation to help the poor. We're confident she has the moral fiber to make the right decision. Their behavior was not moral. Animals are not moral creatures and are not responsible for their actions.

Noun

The moral of the story is to be satisfied with what you have. The moral here is: pay attention to the warning lights in your car. Socrates was accused of corrupting the morals of the youth of Athens. The author points to recent cases of fraud as evidence of the lack of morals in the business world.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Women were weaker, likely to be exhausted by too much education or work, but more moral and spiritually pure, and such attributes were best suited to crafting a sanctuary-like home for one’s family. — Olivia Campbell, Smithsonian, "The Historical Struggle to Rid Socialism of Sexism," 12 July 2018 About 80% of the Philippines’ 100 million people identify as Roman Catholic and are among the world’s most devout, attending Mass regularly and turning to the church for moral and spiritual guidance. — Jake Maxwell Watts, WSJ, "Clash Between Duterte and Catholic Church in Philippines Intensifies," 9 July 2018 The model and social media genius took to Twitter to point out the logistical flaws in Trump's plan, since the moral and ethical flaws are more than obvious. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Chrissy Teigen Slammed Trump for His Recent Elizabeth Warren and #MeToo Comments," 7 July 2018 But that’s not how our thinking about moral responsibility works. — New York Times, "What Do I Owe My Sociopathic Sibling?," 2 July 2018 But after a deadly event like the Capital Gazette shooting, the moral and legal qualms about a service like Geofeedia clash with its possible utility. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "What the Capital Gazette Shooting Reveals About Face Recognition," 29 June 2018 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Republicans have a moral responsibility to end the policy. — Zeke Miller, BostonGlobe.com, "Bipartisan opposition grows to separation of families at border," 18 June 2018 That position gives us leadership among our neighbors and allows us to set many of the standards of moral responsibility around the neighborhood, which in this case is the rest of the world. — Luis Mancheno, CBS News, "Analysis: How the asylum process works, and how it needs to change," 8 June 2018 Her level of psychosis reduced her moral responsibility for the crime, the judge said. — Maxine Bernstein, OregonLive.com, "Warm Springs woman sentenced to 13 years for shooting aunt and uncle," 29 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Both morals are too trite to qualify as revelations. — Shunji Iwai, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Fireworks,’ Second Chances, but No Magic," 3 July 2018 Harrits said no matter Girl or Boy Scouts, both teach kids about leadership, having good morals and being kind and considerate. — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Young and old parents alike say it's not taking the 'boy' out of scouting, but putting scouting into the boys and girls that matters," 8 May 2018 And a tip of the cap to the high morals of an angler who made an improbable find twice over. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Extraordinary musky fishing tale, verified and true, comes to happy ending," 11 July 2018 Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Armie Hammer, Tessa Thompson, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt and Omari Hardwick, the film centers on a telemarketer whose unusual methods for professional success put his personal morals at odds. — Randall Roberts, latimes.com, "Box office: 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' skitters to the top, 'Incredibles 2' leaps past $500 million," 8 July 2018 Carla Valdez, who works as a prosecutor in Texas, told U.S. District Judge William Duffey that she and her siblings were raised by humble, hardworking parents who taught them strong values and morals. — Kate Brumback, Houston Chronicle, "Extradited from Mexico, cartel leader gets nearly 50 years," 11 June 2018 The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. — Longreads, "The Dying Days of the New West," 8 May 2018 What didn’t seem to change was Saudi Islamic conservatism in the morals, lifestyle and the social realm. — WSJ, "Saudis Pushed Wahabism Well Before 1979," 2 Apr. 2018 This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "Teeing Off on Trump," 27 June 2018

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