moral
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical.
moral attitudes.
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expressing or conveying truths or counsel as to right conduct, as a speaker or a literary work.
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founded on the fundamental principles of right conduct rather than on legalities, enactment, or custom.
moral obligations.
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capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct.
a moral being.
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conforming to the rules of right conduct (immoral ).
a moral man.
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virtuous in sexual matters; chaste.
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of, relating to, or acting on the mind, feelings, will, or character.
moral support.
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resting upon convincing grounds of probability; virtual.
a moral certainty.
adjective
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concerned with or relating to human behaviour, esp the distinction between good and bad or right and wrong behaviour
moral sense
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adhering to conventionally accepted standards of conduct
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based on a sense of right and wrong according to conscience
moral courage
moral law
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having psychological rather than tangible effects
moral support
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having the effects but not the appearance of (victory or defeat)
a moral victory
a moral defeat
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having a strong probability
a moral certainty
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law (of evidence, etc) based on a knowledge of the tendencies of human nature
noun
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the lesson to be obtained from a fable or event
point the moral
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a concise truth; maxim
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(plural) principles of behaviour in accordance with standards of right and wrong
Usage
What does moral mean? Moral describes something involved with or related to principles of what is considered righteous behavior, as in The wise man has offered moral guidance to many people.The word is used as a noun (especially in the plural morals) to refer to such principles. In this sense, morals are used as a basis to determine right and wrong and guide a person to act in a righteous or honorable manner, as in I don’t cheat because it goes against my morals.The word moral is also used to describe something that follows such principles—something that is considered the right thing to do. If something is considered moral in this way, it is thought to be seen as acceptable by society or in the context of one’s religion. If something is not moral, it is said to be immoral, meaning wrong.Moral is also commonly used as a noun to mean a lesson or teaching that is contained in a story or fable, as in The moral of the story was that a person should not be afraid to ask for help. The point of most fairy tales and children’s stories is to teach important morals to children.Moral is often used in overlapping ways with the word ethical, and the word morals is often used in similar ways to the word ethics, which refers to moral principles or rules of conduct. The word moral is more likely to be used in religious contexts, but both moral and ethical are used in nonreligious contexts.Moral should not be confused with the word morale, which refers to a person’s emotional or mental condition.Example: I think the key to being a moral person is thinking about not just your intentions but the consequences of your actions.
Related Words
Morals, ethics refer to rules and standards of conduct and practice. Morals refers to generally accepted customs of conduct and right living in a society, and to the individual's practice in relation to these: the morals of our civilization. Ethics now implies high standards of honest and honorable dealing, and of methods used, especially in the professions or in business: ethics of the medical profession.
Other Word Forms
- antimoral adjective
- hypermoral adjective
- hypermorally adverb
- moralless adjective
- morally adverb
- overmoral adjective
- overmorally adverb
- premoral adjective
- premorally adverb
- pseudomoral adjective
- quasi-moral adjective
- quasi-morally adverb
- supermoral adjective
- supermorally adverb
- undermoral adjective
Etymology
Origin of moral
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin mōrālis, equivalent to mōr- (stem of mōs ) “usage, custom” + -ālis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In establishing the program, federal officials acknowledged a moral obligation to protect allies who risked their lives to help the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
From Los Angeles Times
The church cited its commitment to racial justice as a moral imperative.
From Salon
After two years of dating Marty, a cute roller hockey player with an unwavering moral compass, I knew I wanted to have a child with him.
From Los Angeles Times
This made her feel a "moral obligation to report" him, but said this was her experience and it was OK that most other survivors "don't want to report or ever talk" about their experience.
From BBC
Offer a few predictable options, normalise different preferences, and don't turn food into a moral issue.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
