morals all of the basic ideas that a person or group of people has about what is morally good and right:
The man has no morals at all.
He felt that society's morals were declining, as shown by increases in public drunkenness and violence.
morality ideas about what is right and wrong, and what is acceptable behaviour - used when talking about whether it is right to do a particular thing, or when talking about moral standards generally:
Several advisers had very different views on the morality of the action (=on whether it was morally right).
They wanted to ban the film, on the grounds of protecting public morality.
ethics moral rules for deciding what is right and wrong - often used about this as a subject that people study and discuss:
Doctors must follow a strict code of ethics.
I'm not sure about the ethics of using human embryos for research (=I'm not sure that it is morally right).
principles moral rules or beliefs about what is right and wrong, which make you decide what you should and should not do:
He stuck to his principles and spoke out against injustice, despite the risks.
It's against their principles to kill any living thing.
values your ideas about what is important in life:
During the 1960s, many young people rejected their parents' values.
He stressed the importance of spiritual values.
scruples beliefs about what is right and wrong that prevent you from doing bad things:
She had no scruples about listening to their private conversation.
My scruples would not allow me to interfere in their relationship.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲