morality

[ muh-ral-i-tee, maw- ]

noun

, plural mo·ral·i·ties

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.

morality

/ 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. See morality play
   short for morality play

Other Words From

• anti·mo·rali·ty adjective
• hyper·mo·rali·ty noun
• premo·rali·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of morality¹

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

Synonym Study

See goodness.

Example Sentences

There will be some counterfactual scenario in which the putative ground of morality is absent or points us toward evil rather than the good.

From Nautilus

The ground of morality is brought closer to us, but we still don’t have an account of how I come to know about its goal-directed nature through moral intuition.

From Nautilus

She spent the last two years researching computational morality at Mila, the Quebec AI Institute.

From Nautilus

According to Kant, morality is ultimately about respect and love.

From No Straight News

Many scientists and humanists misunderstand the connection between evolution and morality, grimly determined that evolutionary facts are dangerous because they justify human misbehavior.

From Nautilus

In Ferguson, these values are seen as white values, the morality a white morality.

From The Daily Beast

For us, the police embrace nothing if not working- and middle-class values and morality.

From The Daily Beast

In a country with a constitution that values secularism, religion is still the prime indicator of morality and goodness.

From The Daily Beast

That the fate of marriage as an institution has little to do with morality—and a lot more to do with money.

From The Daily Beast

All of this comes just as the Iranian parliament has passed a law that gives further powers to morality patrols.

From The Daily Beast

The ruse by which he and Lannes captured the bridge below Vienna was discreditable no doubt from the point of view of morality.

From Project Gutenberg

A writer of the day said, “Mr. Hudson is neither better nor worse than the morality of his time.”

From Project Gutenberg

Social betterment must depend at every stage on the force of public spirit and public morality that inspires it.

From Project Gutenberg

It may be admitted at once that the direct influence on morality was very small indeed.

From Project Gutenberg

If we knew more of it, we should see more clearly where religion and morality joined hands, but we know enough to give us a clue.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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

More About Morality

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.

Where does morality come from?

The first records of morality come from around 1350. It ultimately comes from the Late Latin mōrālitās, meaning “human nature.” It combines the word moral, meaning “related to goodness,” and -ity, a suffix used to make abstract nouns that state a condition.

Morality differs from society to society and person to person. Many different factors can contribute to a person’s individual morality, such as religion, culture, education, life experiences, and parental guidance. However, some acts, such as cannibalism, are seen universally so horrible and vile.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to morality?

• immorality (noun)
• antimorality (adjective)
• hypermorality (noun)
• premorality (noun)

What are some synonyms for morality?

• decency
• righteousness
• virtue
• justice
• integrity

What are some words that share a root or word element with morality? 

• moral
• immorality
• morality play

What are some words that often get used in discussing morality?

• good
• evil
• rules
• behavior
• religion
• guidance

How is morality used in real life?

Morality is most often used to mean goodness and how well (or not) a person demonstrates conformity to society’s sense of it.

Making sure people don't go hungry isn't about ideology. It’s about morality.

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) December 11, 2020

If you don’t care about morality and human rights, maybe you care about money. These policies will prove disastrous for the US economy.

— Sarah Goodyear (@buttermilk1) January 29, 2017

Steve Kerr on lying on lineup: "Sorry, but I don't think they hand you the trophy based on morality. They give it to you if you win."

— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) June 12, 2015

 

 

Try using morality!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of morality?

A. virtue
B. goodness
C. decency
D. evilness