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

The order mandates that the power of the federal government should be used against those who show “hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.”

From Salon

He called Abbey’s novel “relevant as ever,” both a love letter to America and a sharp meditation on the morality of violence — especially when aimed at the systems and machinery of power.

From Los Angeles Times

On the morality of letting murderers out after a fraction of their sentence, Mr Pikalo stressed they weren't pardons, but conditional releases.

From BBC

There was a morality to it, I felt.

From Los Angeles Times

He too wanted to be anonymous as he is still an active reservist, though he was having doubts, like many other Israelis, about the morality of what he is being asked to do.

From BBC

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.