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moral

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective moral differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of moral are ethical, noble, righteous, and virtuous. While all these words 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

When is ethical a more appropriate choice than moral?

The synonyms ethical and moral are sometimes interchangeable, but ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity.

committed to the highest ethical principles

When might noble be a better fit than moral?

Although the words noble and moral have much in common, noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character.

had the noblest of reasons for seeking office

In what contexts can righteous take the place of moral?

In some situations, the words righteous and moral are roughly equivalent. However, righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious.

wished to be righteous before God and the world

When could virtuous be used to replace moral?

While the synonyms virtuous and moral are close in meaning, virtuous implies moral excellence in character.

not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of moral
Adjective
When Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes inevitably shows up to galvanize the Thunderbolts into a team, Schreier is free to focus on the character’s moral determination — and his Terminator-like bravado — instead of sweating over his place in the space-time continuum. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2025 To the surprise of no one, things spiral out of control quickly, and without getting into deeper spoilers, a number of moral dilemmas are put in front of the player, who might either doom or save the colonies in the end. Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
Yet the lesson his re-ascendancy teaches our children is that morals do not matter, and that lying, bullying, and greed work. Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 Will they be taught how these men put their religion into practice, i.e., personal morals? arkansasonline.com, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for moral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moral
Adjective
  • His relationship evolved from setting firm boundaries to setting ethical guardrails, offering context, and supporting his autonomy with curiosity and love.
    Rebekah Bastian, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Despite all of that, as the legislature enters the final weeks of its spring session, strengthening the state’s ethical safeguards doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the top of the agenda in Springfield.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Court documents show Blankenship has been employed by the city since 2006 following his honorable discharge from the Coast Guard.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2025
  • White Painted Woman was a model of heroism and honorable womanhood: When evil monsters were hunting the Apache people, the White Painted Woman gave birth to a son who would destroy the creatures to help make Earth inhabitable for humanity.
    Alejandra Rubio, NPR, 29 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Carey focused various strains of American economic, political, social and cultural values towards a single principle: protectionism.
    Made by History, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Tottenham abandoned those principles against the champions-in-waiting, offering gifts in dangerous areas from which the Liverpool attackers profited.
    Elias Burke, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But only if leaders have the appetite for that kind of honest data.
    Aparna Rae, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • This was an honest error and was not intentional in any way.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Competence: Intelligent, dependable, wise, principled, conscientious • Sophistication: Elegant, composed, worldly, confident, tactful • Ruggedness: Tough, athletic, sturdy, outdoorsy, reliable Most businesses focus on a couple of these.
    Sabine Leveiller, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Less conscientious importers, Fetyani explains, will often bring the car to the port and leave the owner to figure it out from there.
    Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • His comments came the same day as the Commerce Department reported the national economy − the total value of all goods and services in the country − shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% during the first three months of the year.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • The enterprise value of the business was 1.5 billion pounds.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • Francis hailed as 'true advocate for peace' In 2019, Francis became the first pontiff to set foot on the peninsula where Islam was born.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Walker will likely need time to develop in the right system, and the Raiders should wait until later to take a true off-ball linebacker.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Terrain theory applied Terrain theory's clash with reality has become painfully apparent amid Kennedy's handling—or more accurately, mishandling—of the current measles situation in the US.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Carney and Sheinbaum offer an opportunity to test a different theory.
    Justin Worland, Time, 30 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Moral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moral. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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