moraladjective
uk/ˈmɒr.əl/us/ˈmɔːr.əl/B2 relating to the standards of good or bad behaviour, fairness, honesty, etc. that each person believes in, rather than to laws:
It's her moral obligation to tell the police what she knows.
It is not part of a novelist's job to make a moral judgment.
She was the only politician to condemn the proposed law on moral grounds (= for moral reasons).
The Democrats are attempting to capture the moral high ground (= are trying to appear more honest and good than the other political parties).
Compare
amoral
immoral
C1 behaving in ways considered by most people to be correct and honest:
She's a very moral woman.
Oh, stop being so moral!
Is TV responsible for weakening people's moral fibre (= ability to behave well and honestly and work hard)?
More examples
- My moral duty as Secretary-General of the United Nations is to do everything possible to avoid war.
- My grandmother, as usual, lamented the decline in moral standards in today's society.
- He has very strong moral convictions.
- How on earth can you say that? Do you have no moral values?
- There is a very moral tone to this book.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Morality and rules of behaviour
- antisocial
- bioethics
- book
- claim
- conscience
- decency
- double standard
- moralize
- morally
- norm
- object lesson
- precept
- social contract
- spirit
- the rights and wrongs idiom
- the ways of the world idiom
- two wrongs don't make a right idiom
- value
- voice
- wrong
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Virtue and moral good
moralnoun
uk/ˈmɒr.əl/us/ˈmɔːr.əl/moral noun (STANDARDS)
morals C2 [ plural ]
standards for good or bad character and behaviour:
public/private morals
old-fashioned disapproving a person of loose morals (= whose character or sexual behaviour is considered unacceptable)
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Morality and rules of behaviour
- antisocial
- bioethics
- book
- claim
- conscience
- decency
- double standard
- moralize
- morally
- norm
- object lesson
- precept
- social contract
- spirit
- the rights and wrongs idiom
- the ways of the world idiom
- two wrongs don't make a right idiom
- value
- voice
- wrong
See more results »
moral noun (MESSAGE)
[ C ] The moral of a story, event, or experience is the message that you understand from it about how you should or should not behave:
And the moral of the story is that honesty is always the best policy.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Morality and rules of behaviour
- antisocial
- bioethics
- book
- claim
- conscience
- decency
- double standard
- moralize
- morally
- norm
- object lesson
- precept
- social contract
- spirit
- the rights and wrongs idiom
- the ways of the world idiom
- two wrongs don't make a right idiom
- value
- voice
- wrong
See more results »