moral

(môr'əl, mŏr'-)
adj.

1. Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character: moral scrutiny; a moral quandary.
2. Teaching or exhibiting goodness or correctness of character and behavior: a moral lesson.
3. Conforming to standards of what is right or just in behavior; virtuous: a moral life.
4. Arising from conscience or the sense of right and wrong: a moral obligation.
5. Having psychological rather than physical or tangible effects: a moral victory; moral support.
6. Based on strong likelihood or firm conviction, rather than on the actual evidence: a moral certainty.

n.

1. The lesson or principle contained in or taught by a fable, a story, or an event.
2. A concisely expressed precept or general truth; a maxim.
3. morals Rules or habits of conduct, especially of sexual conduct, with reference to standards of right and wrong: a person of loose morals; a decline in the public morals.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mōrālis, from mōs, mōr-, custom.]

morally mor'al·ly adv.

SYNONYMS   moral, ethical, virtuous, righteous. These adjectives mean in accord with right or good conduct. Moral applies to personal character and behavior, especially sexual conduct: "Our moral sense dictates a clearcut preference for these societies which share with us an abiding respect for individual human rights" (Jimmy Carter). Ethical stresses idealistic standards of right and wrong: "Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants" (Omar N. Bradley). Virtuous implies moral excellence and loftiness of character: "The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous" (Frederick Douglass). Righteous emphasizes moral uprightness; when it is applied to actions, reactions, or impulses, it often implies justifiable outrage: "He was . . . stirred by righteous wrath" (John Galsworthy).

View more Literature & Language videos

When Fowler wrote in the years following the First World War, morale, in the meaning 'mental attitude or bearing', was a word at the forefront of consciousness, but there was uncertainty as to form between morale (an early 19th century respelling preserving the sound of the French word and distinguishing it from the other meanings of moral) and the spelling moral, reintroduced towards the end of the 19th century for this meaning on the grounds that morale was artificial and not the form of the word in this meaning in French. In the fullness of time, the form morale, together with its French-like pronunciation, which Fowler recommended, has prevailed, and few today will realize that there was ever a problem. However, the story affords a colourful glimpse of the interaction between two great languages.

Previous:	moot, mood, monologue, soliloquy
Next:	moratorium, more, mores

adjective

1. Teaching morality: didactic, didactical, moralizing. See teach/learn.
2. In accordance with principles of right or good conduct: ethical, principled, proper, right, righteous, rightful, right-minded, virtuous. See right/wrong.
3. Being on a high intellectual or moral level: elevated, high-minded, noble. See high/low.

noun

1. The principle taught by a fable or parable, for example: lesson. See meaning.
2. A rule or habit of conduct with regard to right and wrong or a body of such rules and habits. ethic, ethicality, morality. See right/wrong.

adj

Definition: ethical, honest
Antonyms: amoral, bad, corrupt, dishonest, evil, immoral, sinful, unethical, unprincipled, vile

Pertaining to human behaviour, especially the distinction between what is right and wrong.

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

adj.

Conforming to a local and mutable standard of right. Having the quality of general expediency.

    It is sayd there be a raunge of mountaynes in the Easte, on 
one syde of the which certayn conducts are immorall, yet on the other 
syde they are holden in good esteeme; wherebye the mountayneer is much 
conveenyenced, for it is given to him to goe downe eyther way and act 
as it shall suite his moode, withouten offence.
                                                   Gooke's Meditations

---

IN BRIEF: Having to do with right and wrong in conduct.

The great instrument of moral good is the imagination. — Percy Shelley (1792-1822).

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: The open hand comes off the chin and hits on the fingertips of the opposite hand, followed by the C-hand making a circular motion on the chest.

---

noun
noun, now mainly Austral

A certainty. (1861 —) .
Canberra Times The senior puisne judge (who is an absolute moral for the Chief Justiceship come February next year)...is almost certainly among the ranks of the deeply concerned (1986).

[Short for moral certainty.]

Previous:	mop, mootah, moose
Next:	morning-glory, morph, morphodite

adj

Relating to the conscience or moral sense or to the general principles of correct conduct.

For a list of words related to moral, see:

• Proper, Courteous, Refined, or Puritanical
• Good, Sincere, Honest, or Just
• Practice, Discipline, and Belief - moral: (adj) ethically good, principled; conforming to or acting on inner conviction of what is right

---

See words rhyming with "moral."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Moral.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - moralsk, moral-, åndelig
n. - moral, morale, åndelig habitus

idioms:

• moral certainty    meget stor sandsynlighed
• moral fibre    moralsk habitus, karakterstyrke
• moral majority    moralsk græsrodsbevægelse i USA
• moral pressure    moralsk pres
• moral sense    moralfølelse
• moral victory    moralsk sejr
• the moral high ground    moralsk overlegenhed i en debat

Nederlands (Dutch)
moraal, zedenles, principe, moreel, zedelijk

Français (French)
adj. - moral
n. - morale, m¯urs, moralité

idioms:

• moral certainty    certitude morale
• moral fibre    trempe, force morale
• moral majority    majorité morale
• moral pressure    pression morale
• moral sense    sens moral
• moral victory    victoire morale
• the moral high ground    (prendre) une position moraliste

Deutsch (German)
n. - Moral
adj. - moralisch, sittlich, tugendhaft

idioms:

• moral certainty    so gut wie sicher
• moral fibre    Charakterstärke
• moral majority    vermutete Mehrheit, die für strengere öffentl. Moral eintritt
• moral pressure    moralischer Druck
• moral sense    moralisches Bewußtsein
• moral victory    moralischer Sieg
• the moral high ground    moralisch bessere Stellung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - επιμύθιο, ηθικό δίδαγμα, (πληθ.) ηθικές αρχές
adj. - ηθικός, ψυχικός, ενάρετος, χρηστοήθης, χρηστός

idioms:

• moral certainty    εσωτερική βεβαιότητα
• moral fibre    ηθική υπόσταση, χαρακτήρας
• moral majority    ηθική πλειοψηφία
• moral pressure    ηθική πίεση
• moral sense    δύναμη διακρίσεως καλού-κακού
• moral victory    ηθική νίκη
• the moral high ground    ηθική υπεροψία

Italiano (Italian)
morale

idioms:

• moral certainty    certezza morale
• moral fibre    fibra morale
• moral majority    maggioranza
• moral pressure    pressione morale
• moral sense    senso morale
• moral victory    vittoria morale

Português (Portuguese)
n. - moral (m)
adj. - moral

idioms:

• moral certainty    certeza moral, absoluta
• moral fibre    fibra (f) (fig.)
• moral majority    moral cristã severa
• moral pressure    pressão moral
• moral sense    senso moral
• moral victory    vitória moral
• the moral high ground    os moralistas

Русский (Russian)
мораль, нравы, нравственный, вежливый, духовный, нравоучительный

idioms:

• moral certainty    внутренняя уверенность
• moral fibre    духовные силы
• moral majority    большинство, поддерживающее традиционные моральные ценности, правое движение в США
• moral pressure    моральное давление
• moral sense    способность отличить хорошее от плохого
• moral victory    моральная победа
• the moral high ground    высокие нравственные мотивы

Español (Spanish)
adj. - moral, moralidad, honrado, recto, con moralidad, decente
n. - moral, moralidad, moraleja, enseñanza, ética

idioms:

• moral certainty    certidumbre moral, plena certeza
• moral fibre    fibra moral
• moral majority    la mayoría moral (movimiento político de derecha en EE.UU.)
• moral pressure    presión moral
• moral sense    sentido moral
• moral victory    victoria moral
• the moral high ground    incorruptible, de moral intachable

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (sens)moral, sedelära, moral
adj. - moralisk, andlig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
道德的, 良心的, 品性端正的, 道德, 寓意, 品行

idioms:

• moral certainty    接近必然的可能性, 确实可靠性
• moral fibre    有道德品性
• moral majority    道德的大多数
• moral pressure    道德压力
• moral sense    是非感
• moral victory    精神胜利, 虽败犹荣
• the moral high ground    崇高道德

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 道德的, 良心的, 品性端正的
n. - 道德, 寓意, 品行

idioms:

• moral certainty    接近必然的可能性, 確實可靠性
• moral fibre    有道德品性
• moral majority    道德的大多數
• moral pressure    道德壓力
• moral sense    是非感
• moral victory    精神勝利, 雖敗猶榮
• the moral high ground    崇高道德

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 윤리의, 품행이 단정한, 정신적인
n. - 교훈, 매우 유사한 것

idioms:

• the moral high ground    도덕적인 유리한 입장

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 道徳の, 道義上の, 道徳的な, 精神的な, 教訓的な, ありそうな
n. - 教訓, 道徳, 品行, 修身, 倫理学

idioms:

• moral certainty    まず間違いのないこと
• moral fibre    道徳的性格の人
• moral majority    モラルマジョリティ
• moral pressure    道義心に訴える説得
• moral sense    道徳観念, 道徳感覚
• moral support    精神的な援助
• moral victory    事実上の勝利
• the moral high ground    他より価値のある

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عبرة, مغزى (صفه) سلوك أخلاقي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מוסרי, בעל מוסר-השכל, טהר-מידות, צדיק‬
n. - ‮מוסר, מוסר-השכל, צדיק, פרק מאלף, מידות (ברבים), אורח חיים מוסרי (ברבים)‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.