mores

American  

[mawr-eyz, -eez, mohr-] / ˈmɔr eɪz, -iz, ˈmoʊr- /

plural noun

Sociology.

1. folkways of central importance accepted without question and embodying the fundamental moral views of a group.

---

mores British  

/ ˈmɔːreɪz /

plural noun

1. sociol the customs and conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group or society

---

mores Cultural  

1. The customs and manners of a social group or culture. Mores often serve as moral guidelines for acceptable behavior but are not necessarily religious or ethical.

---

Etymology

Origin of mores

1905–10; < Latin mōres, plural of mōs usage, custom

Compare meaning

How does mores compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mores vs. folkways

Example Sentences

The world is endlessly fascinating, and getting more so in this era of rapid change in technology, cultural mores, and politics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Language is an ideal prism through which a culture expresses its underlying mores.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Doucet populates the book with sympathetic characters—the “real cement and steel of the Inter-Con”—conscientious and kind Afghans who keep the hotel going as regimes collapse, rulers change, mores alter.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The Ten Year Affair” handles these twists with unfailing intelligence, capturing the sincere but confusingly improvised mores of marriage today.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is deeply corrosive of personal mores and social trust.

From The Wall Street Journal