morality

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

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.

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. short for morality play

Other Word Forms

• antimorality adjective
• hypermorality noun
• premorality 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

Any other presidential decision would have been criminal: That is basic democratic morality, notwithstanding unceasing criticism from the high-minded.

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There is a tendency to make economic tales resemble morality plays, where excess and pride lead ineluctably to poverty and humiliation.

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I know of no living document more reflective of a nation’s morality than its budget.

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Carmeli-Pollak began writing in 2014, inspired by Vittorio De Sica’s “The Bicycle Thief,” another film about the challenge to morality in a world of economic and social despair.

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It’s a morality tale about the hard-knock life of a performer that recalls the warm character studies of Ms. Swift’s earlier work.

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Related Words

• decency 
• integrity 
• justice 
• morals www.thesaurus.com
• philosophy 
• principle 
• probity 
• purity 
• rectitude 
• righteousness 
• virtue 

When To Use

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.