moral

[mawr-uhl, mor-]

See more synonyms for moral on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes.
expressing or conveying truths or counsel as to right conduct, as a speaker or a literary work.
founded on the fundamental principles of right conduct rather than on legalities, enactment, or custom: moral obligations.

capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct: a moral being.
conforming to the rules of right conduct (opposed to immoral): a moral man.
virtuous in sexual matters; chaste.
of, relating to, or acting on the mind, feelings, will, or character: moral support.
resting upon convincing grounds of probability; virtual: a moral certainty.

noun

the moral teaching or practical lesson contained in a fable, tale, experience, etc.
the embodiment or type of something.
morals, principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct.

Origin of moral

1300–50; Middle English < Latin mōrālis, equivalent to mōr- (stem of mōs) usage, custom + -ālis -al¹

Related formsmor·al·less, adjectivean·ti·mor·al, adjectivehy·per·mor·al, adjectivehy·per·mor·al·ly, adverbo·ver·mor·al, adjectiveo·ver·mor·al·ly, adverbpre·mor·al, adjectivepre·mor·al·ly, adverbpseu·do·mor·al, adjectivequa·si-mor·al, adjectivequa·si-mor·al·ly, adverbsu·per·mor·al, adjectivesu·per·mor·al·ly, adverbun·der·mor·al, adjective

Can be confusedmoral morale (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonyms for moral

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5. upright, honest, straightforward, open, virtuous, honorable. 11. integrity, standards, morality. Morals, ethics refer to rules and standards of conduct and practice. Morals refers to generally accepted customs of conduct and right living in a society, and to the individual's practice in relation to these: the morals of our civilization. Ethics now implies high standards of honest and honorable dealing, and of methods used, especially in the professions or in business: ethics of the medical profession.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for morals

ethic, integrity, morality, behavior, mores, manners, customs, ideals, conduct, ethics, scruples, beliefs

Examples from the Web for morals

Contemporary Examples of morals

Formerly to impair the morals was a minor was a punishable offense.
Holy Homophobia, Batman! A Queer Reading of the Dark Knight
Rich Goldstein
July 26, 2014
Some believe you need to be taught to disapprove of her morals and ethics.
My Commencement Speech to Rutgers’ Geniuses: Go Forth and Fail
P. J. O’Rourke
May 18, 2014
Morals are more important and more valuable than democracy.
Thai Election Not Likely To Resolve Protests
Lennox Samuels
February 1, 2014
The entire episode was characters waxing poetic about their morals, which is just about as insufferable as it sounds.
‘The Newsroom’ Season Finale Was Incredibly Disappointing
Kevin Fallon
September 16, 2013
But when we finally cracked some links in the Great Chain of Being, the morals reversed.
Why Do We Save Some Species and Let Others Get Devastated?
Melissa Holbrook Pierson
May 21, 2013

Historical Examples of morals

They wanted me to be shackled: for early did they doubt my morals, as to the sex.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Between righteousness and morals the difference is important.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
Morals stand for a code of observances; righteousness for a direction of the life.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
You might say that a standard of morals is entirely a matter of opinion.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
With morals in this accepted American sense righteousness has little to do.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King

British Dictionary definitions for morals

moral

adjective

concerned with or relating to human behaviour, esp the distinction between good and bad or right and wrong behaviourmoral sense
adhering to conventionally accepted standards of conduct
based on a sense of right and wrong according to consciencemoral courage; moral law
having psychological rather than tangible effectsmoral support
having the effects but not the appearance of (victory or defeat)a moral victory; a moral defeat
having a strong probabilitya moral certainty
law (of evidence, etc) based on a knowledge of the tendencies of human nature

noun

the lesson to be obtained from a fable or eventpoint the moral
a concise truth; maxim
(plural) principles of behaviour in accordance with standards of right and wrong

Derived Formsmorally, adverb

Word Origin for moral

C14: from Latin mōrālis relating to morals or customs, from mōs custom

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for morals

"a person's moral qualities," 1610s, plural of moral (n.).

moral

adj.

mid-14c., "pertaining to character or temperament" (good or bad), from Old French moral (14c.) and directly from Latin moralis "proper behavior of a person in society," literally "pertaining to manners," coined by Cicero ("De Fato," II.i) to translate Greek ethikos (see ethics) from Latin mos (genitive moris) "one's disposition," in plural, "mores, customs, manners, morals," of uncertain origin. Perhaps sharing a PIE root with English mood (1).

Meaning "morally good, conforming to moral rules," is first recorded late 14c. of stories, 1630s of persons. Original value-neutral sense preserved in moral support, moral victory (with sense of "pertaining to character as opposed to physical action"). Related: Morally.

moral

"moral exposition of a story," c.1500, from moral (adj.) and from French moral and Late Latin morale.