morality

American  

[muh-ral-i-tee, maw-] / məˈræl ɪ ti, mɔ- /

noun

plural

moralities

1. conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct.

2. moral quality or character.

3. virtue in sexual matters; chastity.

4. a doctrine or system of morals.

5. moral instruction; a moral lesson, precept, discourse, or utterance.

6. morality play.

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morality British  

/ məˈrælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the quality of being moral

2. conformity, or degree of conformity, to conventional standards of moral conduct

3. a system of moral principles

4. an instruction or lesson in morals

5. short for morality play

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Usage

What is morality? Morality is a conformity to the rules of good or virtuous conduct, as in Because he was leading a life according to morality, the knight declined the reward for rescuing the princess. Morality is also an individual person’s goodness or virtuousness, as in Batman’s morality would not allow him to kill any evildoers. Morality is also a system of rules regarding goodness or virtue, as in The Bible is the source of Christian morality. Morality is a very complex concept that refers to the written or unwritten rules that society uses to determine what good behavior is. Good here means not evil and refers to behavior that people agree is honorable, just, or virtuous. If you are concerned with morality, you want to be a good person and don’t want to commit evil acts. The rules of goodness that define morality are called morals and can come from many different sources, such as religion or cultural norms. The opposite of morality is immorality. Example: I try to live my life according to morality, so I always tell the truth.

Related Words

See goodness.

Other Word Forms

• antimorality adjective
• hypermorality noun
• premorality noun

Etymology

Origin of morality

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English moralite, from Late Latin mōrālitās; moral, -ity

Explanation

Morality is a concern with what’s right or wrong. Your sense of morality prevents you from cheating on your school exams, on your taxes, or on your spouse. You’ll notice the word moral is in morality. And you might remember reading fairy tales that ended with the phrase, “The moral of the story is…” That’s because stories for children are often intended to instruct kids as to what the good or right decision is in a situation. For example, Cinderella teaches kids that if their foot fits the glass slipper, they can end up marrying a prince. How's that for morality?

Example Sentences

"They discussed a range of topics, including issues of morality in foreign policy, the logic of the US National Security Strategy, Europe, Africa, Latin America and other topics," the post said.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Leaving patriotism and morality aside, I would say, “Gee, I don’t trust that.”

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

But her sense of morality trumps her financial desperation.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

"There's no compassion or morality to be found in that argument."

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

“I recommend Batman especially, for he tends to transcend the abysmal society in which he’s found himself. His morality is rather rigid, also. I rather respect Batman.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• decency
• integrity
• justice
• morals
• philosophy
• principle
• probity
• purity
• rectitude
• righteousness
• virtue