moral definition - Dictionary

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moral obligation bond

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moral

mor·al [ máwrəl ]

adjective

Definition:

1. involving right and wrong: relating to issues of right and wrong and to how individual people should behave

2. derived from personal conscience: based on what somebody's conscience suggests is right or wrong, rather than on what rules or the law says should be done

3. according to common standard of justice: regarded in terms of what is known to be right or just, as opposed to what is officially or outwardly declared to be right or just

a moral victory.

4. encouraging goodness and decency: giving guidance on how to behave decently and honorably

5. good by accepted standards: good or right, when judged by the standards of the average person or society at large

6. able to tell right from wrong: able to distinguish right from wrong and to make decisions based on that knowledge

7. based on personal conviction: based on an inner conviction, in the absence of physical proof

moral certainty

noun (plural mor·als)

Definition:

1. valuable lesson in behavior: a conclusion about how to behave or proceed drawn from a story or event

2. final sentence of story giving advice: a short precise rule, usually written in a rather literary style as the conclusion to a story, used to help people remember the best or most sensible way to behave

plural noun mor·als

Definition:

standards of behavior: principles of right and wrong as they govern standards of general or sexual behavior

[14th century. < Latin moralis< mor-, stem of mos "custom," in plural "morals"]

mor·al·ly adverb

Spelling Note


	Do not confuse the spelling of moral and morale ("level of confidence"). Moral is most often encountered as an adjective meaning "based on or involving what is right or wrong," or "generally accepted to be good or right": moral standards; moral education. It is also used as a noun meaning "a valuable lesson," and in the plural "principles of right and wrong": the moral of the story; upholding society's morals. Morale is stressed on the second rather than the first element and is used only as a noun meaning "level of enthusiasm among a group": Morale was high as the team set off.