morale
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of morale
First recorded in 1745–55; from French, noun use of feminine of moral “custom”; see origin at moral
Explanation
Morale is the spirit a group has that makes them want to succeed. It's a sense of well-being that comes from confidence, usefulness, and purpose. We often talk about the morale of groups in tough situations, and we can describe them as having "good morale" or "low morale." If too many members of a combat unit are killed and the surviving soldiers start to doubt they’ll make it home alive, then their morale is very very low. We can also talk about individual morale. In order to succeed, a sailor on a solo trip around the world needs plenty of ways to keep her morale up.
Vocabulary lists containing morale
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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The Things They Carried
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Stargirl
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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.
Villanueva, on the other hand, depicts the department’s Luna era as a sweeping failure that has left morale low, deputy jobs unfilled and criminals unpunished.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Buyouts can also minimize the hit to employee morale, by giving staffers some choice in the decision to leave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
The concerns come at a time when Ukrainian air defence systems are running low and winter approaches, bringing with it intensified Russian strikes on energy infrastructure aimed at undermining public morale.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
They grapple with low morale awaiting reclassification — sometimes missing a passing score by a point or two.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
People’s morale was not so bad: we were beginning to get used to the situation.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
