moral
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- good, decent, ethical, high-minded, honourable, just, noble, principled, right, virtuous
[noun]
Synonyms:
- lesson, meaning, message, point, significance

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Antonyms: immoral
Contrasted words: amoral, nonmoral, unmoral
Related Words: good, right, conscientious, honest, honorable, just, scrupulous, upright, chaste, decent, modest, pure

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. mor‧al¹ S3 W2 /ˈmɒrəl $ ˈmɔː-/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: moral, morals, morality ≠ immorality, moralist, amorality; adjective: moral ≠ immoral, amoral, moralistic; verb: moralize; adverb: morally ≠ immorally]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: moralis, from mos 'what people usually or traditionally do']

1. [only before noun] relating to the principles of what is right and wrong behaviour, and with the difference between good and evil ⇒ morally, ethical:
It is easy to have an opinion on a moral issue like the death penalty for murder.
moral philosophy
moral standards/values/principles
I think you can run a business to the highest moral standards.
If we accept that certain babies should be allowed to die, we place doctors in a moral dilemma.
Man is gifted with a moral sense by which he distinguishes good from evil.

2. [only before noun] based on your ideas about what is right, rather than on what is legal or practical:
The book places a high moral value on marriage and the family unit.
The UN feels that it has the moral authority (=influence because people accept that its beliefs are right) to send troops to the area.
moral duty/obligation/responsibility
A man has a moral duty to obey the law.
It isn’t just lack of moral fibre (=lack of the emotional strength to do what you believe is right) which leads to a rising divorce rate.

3. moral support encouragement that you give by expressing approval or interest, rather than by giving practical help:
Dad came along to give me some moral support.

4. moral victory a situation in which you show that your beliefs are right and fair, even if you do not win:
Through Joan of Arc, France won a great moral victory.

5. always behaving in a way that is based on strong principles about what is right and wrong Antonym : immoral, amoral:
a moral man of high integrity

6. take/claim/seize the moral high ground to claim that you are the only person who does what is morally right in a situation, with the intention of being noticed and considered to be good by the public

7. moral compass a way of recognizing what kind of behaviour is right or wrong:
Has the government lost its moral compass?

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. moral² noun
[Word Family: noun: moral, morals, morality ≠ immorality, moralist, amorality; adjective: moral ≠ immoral, amoral, moralistic; verb: moralize; adverb: morally ≠ immorally]

1. morals [plural] principles or standards of good behaviour, especially in matters of sex ⇒ ethics:
the morals and customs of the Victorian period
Values and morals are independent of religious faith.
the corruption of public morals (=the standards of behaviour, especially sexual behaviour, expected by society)
a young woman of loose morals (=low standards of sexual behaviour – often used humorously)

2. [countable] a practical lesson about what to do or how to behave, which you learn from a story or from something that happens to you ⇒ message
moral of
The moral of the film was that crime does not pay.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

moral
noun
I. practical lesson
ADJ. clear
VERB + MORAL draw There are clear morals to be drawn from the failure of these companies.
PREP. ~ to There is a clear moral to all this.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

moral
II. morals: principles
ADJ. good, strict | doubtful, loose Women who went to pubs alone would sometimes be assumed to have loose morals.
sexual | public | Christian
VERB + MORAL have He has absolutely no morals, that man!
instil She had tried her best to instil morals into her daughters.
protect | corrupt
PHRASES a decline in morals

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

moral

a moral standard/principle
Has there been a decline in moral standards in our society?
a moral value (=behaviour that a society believes is right and good)
Schools teach moral values both by example and in lessons.
a moral duty/obligation (=something you must do for moral reasons)
If you have a pet, you have a moral obligation to take care of it.
a moral judgment
We shouldn't make moral judgements about the way other people live their lives.
a moral imperative (=something that must be done for moral reasons)
He felt that rescuing the hostages was a moral imperative.
a moral code (=a set of beliefs about right and wrong that influences your behaviour)
His own moral code is based on his religious beliefs.
sb’s moral authority (=influence that someone has because people believe their principles are right)
Corruption in government destroys its moral authority.
moral fibre British English, moral fiber American English (=the emotional strength to do what is right)
Single parents are sometimes treated as though they lack moral fibre.
a moral issue
a debate on the moral issues surrounding the use of animals in medical research
a moral dilemma (=a difficult decision for moral reasons)
Doctors face a moral dilemma when a patient can be kept alive but has no chance of real recovery.
sb’s moral sense (=a feeling for what is right and what is wrong)
Children’s moral sense develops over a number of years.
moral superiority (=the idea that you are morally right and other people are not)
He connects high social class with moral superiority.
moral philosophy (=the study of moral principles and rules)
a class in moral philosophy
the moral order (=the way societies are organized according to moral standards)
Hitler posed the greatest threat to the moral order of the world that history has ever seen.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲