moral

1 of 2

adjective

mor·al ˈmȯr-əl

ˈmär-

Synonyms of moral next

: of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior : ethical

moral judgments

: expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior

a moral poem

: conforming to a standard of right behavior

took a moral position on the issue though it cost him the nomination

: sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment

a moral obligation

: capable of right and wrong action

a moral agent

: probable though not proved : virtual

a moral certainty

: perceptual or psychological rather than tangible or practical in nature or effect

a moral victory

moral support

morally

ˈmȯr-ə-lē

ˈmär-

adverb

moral

2 of 2

noun

mor·al ˈmȯr-əl

ˈmär-;

sense 3 is

mə-ˈral

: the moral significance or practical lesson (as of a story)

The moral of the story is to be satisfied with what you have.

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

morals plural

: 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

: ethics

the science of morals endeavors to divide men into the good and the bad—

J. W. Krutch

: morale

The casualties did not shake the moral of the soldiers.

Did you know?

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

Choose the Right Synonym for moral

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

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In their account, such reasoning was the fruit of utilitarianism and other modern strains of thought; and the whole Catholic moral enterprise, the basis of the Jesuit education and their own callings as priests and professors, was set against such reasoning. —

Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 27 June 2023 But our moral sensemaking of the situation is a different matter. —

WIRED, 23 June 2023 That included Westchester County, just north of New York City. County Executive George Latimer said the decision was partly a moral obligation to help people in need, people not unlike his own immigrant ancestors from Italy and Ireland who sought an escape from poverty and oppression. —

Nick Miroff and Joanna Slater, Anchorage Daily News, 20 June 2023 But the moral crises remain the same: Ray Carney keeps his straight gig running a furniture store while keeping a hand in the underworld as Black Power politics reshape the neighborhood. —

Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2023 The ethical and moral status of creations like these also remains unresolved. —

Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 17 June 2023 Another example comes from the realm of moral decision-making. —

Andrew Serazin, Time, 14 June 2023 The author explores the dilemma of art created by those with major legal, ethical or moral issues. 6. —

The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2023 The clock is ticking, but the detective investigating the case is up against an impossible moral choice: Find Olivia or frame somebody for the murder to protect her family from the culprit. —

Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 30 May 2023

Noun

Charity hopes her future husband is honest, loyal and shares similar morals. —

Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 26 June 2023 One of the most successful football coaches in the county, Cesky was known for instilling morals and values in his players and was dedicated to helping his students on and off the field. —

Maria Morales, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2023 There is something in her work — and that includes this short film — of a fairy tale, but what is very beautiful is that, at the end of the story, the girls themselves say that this is a story without a moral. —

Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2023 The real moral of all this research may be rather modest. —

Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022 Valencia dusted off that earlier horror concept and retooled it for a preschool audience, with a focus on Indigenous values like morals, community, friendship, family, respect and connectedness. —

Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023 Cliff tries to go straight, peddling defibrillators from the back of his Oldsmobile — a sign his career is on life support — whereas Ricky is a man without morals, running drugs and guns for the worst kind of clients. —

Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 June 2023 And while her morals and beliefs are wonky at best, Kendall's sister, Shiv (Sarah Snook), has always leaned Democrat, and has strong ties to Gil Eavis, the Succession version of Bernie Sanders who's the running mate of Daniel Jimenez, the Democratic candidate. —

Evan Romano, Men's Health, 16 May 2023 Those are the ones, Fuller said, who have the freedom to care most about a company’s morals. —

Byjane Thier, Fortune, 3 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.