Adjacent Words

Moral definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MOR'AL, a. [L. moralis, from mos, moris, manner.]
1. Relating to the practice, manners or conduct of men as social beings in relation to each other, and with reference to right and wrong. The word moral is applicable to actions that are good or evil, virtuous or vicious, and has reference to the law of God as the standard by which their character is to be determined. The word however may be applied to actions which affect only, or primarily and principally, a person's own happiness.
Keep at the least within the compass of moral actions, which have in them vice or virtue.
Mankind is broken loose from moral bands.
2. Subject to the moral law and capable of moral actions; bound to perform social duties; as a moral agent or being.
3. Supported by the evidence of reason or probability; founded on experience of the ordinary course of things; as moral certainty, distinguished from physical or mathematical certainty or demonstration.
Physical and mathematical certainty may be stiled infallible, and moral certainty may be properly stiled indubitable.
Things of a moral nature may be proved by moral arguments.
4. Conformed to rules of right, or to the divine law respecting social duties; virtuous; just; as when we say, a particular action is not moral.
5. Conformed to law and right in exterior deportment; as, he leads a good moral life.
6. Reasoning or instructing with regard to vice and virtue.
While thou, a moral fool, sitt'st still and cri'st.
7. In general, moral denotes something which respects the conduct of men and their relations as social beings whose actions have a bearing on each others's rights and happiness, and are therefore right or wrong, virtuous or vicious; as moral character; moral views; moral knowledge; moral sentiments; moral maxims; moral approbation; moral doubts; moral justice; moral virtue; moral obligations, etc. Or moral denotes something which respects the intellectual powers of man, as distinct form his physical powers. Thus we speak of moral evidence, moral arguments, moral persuasion, moral certainty, moral force; which operate on the mind.
Moral law, the law of God which prescribes the moral or social duties, and prohibits the transgression of them.
Moral sense, an innate or natural sense of right and wrong; an instinctive perception of what is right or wrong in moral conduct, which approves some actions and disapproves others, independent of education or the knowledge of any positive rule or law. But the existence of any such moral sense is very much doubted.
Moral philosophy, the science of manners and duty; the science which treats of the nature and condition of man as a social being, of the duties which result form his social relations, and the reasons on which they are founded.
MOR'AL, n. Morality; the doctrine or practice of the duties of life. [Not much used.]
1. The doctrine inculcated by a fiction; the accommodation of a fable to form the morals.
The moral is the first business of the poet.
MOR'AL, v.i. To moralize. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles; "moral sense"; "a moral scrutiny"; "a moral lesson"; "a moral quandary"; "moral convictions"; "a moral life" [ant: immoral]
2: psychological rather than physical or tangible in effect; "a moral victory"; "moral support" n
1: the significance of a story or event; "the moral of the story is to love thy neighbor" [syn: moral, lesson]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin moralis, from mor-, mos custom Date: 14th century 1. a. of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior ; ethical <moral judgments> b. expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior <a moral poem> c. conforming to a standard of right behavior d. sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment <a moral obligation> e. capable of right and wrong action <a moral agent> 2. probable though not proved ; virtual <a moral certainty> 3. perceptual or psychological rather than tangible or practical in nature or effect <a moral victory> <moral support> • morally adverb Synonyms: moral, ethical, virtuous, righteous, noble mean conforming to a standard of what is right and good. moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong <the basic moral values of a community>. ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity <committed to the highest ethical principles>. virtuous implies moral excellence in character <not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless>. righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious <wished to be righteous before God and the world>. noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character <had the noblest of reasons for seeking office>. II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. the moral significance or practical lesson (as of a story) b. a passage pointing out usually in conclusion the lesson to be drawn from a story 2. plural a. moral practices or teachings ; modes of conduct b. ethics 3. morale

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 a concerned with goodness or badness of human character or behaviour, or with the distinction between right and wrong. b concerned with accepted rules and standards of human behaviour. 2 a conforming to accepted standards of general conduct. b capable of moral action (man is a moral agent). 3 (of rights or duties etc.) founded on moral law. 4 a concerned with morals or ethics (moral philosophy). b (of a literary work etc.) dealing with moral conduct. 5 concerned with or leading to a psychological effect associated with confidence in a right action (moral courage; moral support; moral victory). --n. 1 a a moral lesson (esp. at the end) of a fable, story, event, etc. b a moral maxim or principle. 2 (in pl.) moral behaviour, e.g. in sexual conduct. Phrases and idioms: moral certainty probability so great as to allow no reasonable doubt. moral law the conditions to be satisfied by any right course of action. moral majority the majority of people, regarded as favouring firm moral standards (orig. Moral Majority, name of a right-wing US movement). moral philosophy the branch of philosophy concerned with ethics. moral pressure persuasion by appealing to a person's moral sense. Moral Re-Armament 1 = OXFORD GROUP. 2 the beliefs of this organization, esp. as applied to international relations. moral science systematic knowledge as applied to morals. moral sense the ability to distinguish right and wrong. Derivatives: morally adv. Etymology: ME f. L moralis f. mos moris custom, pl. mores morals

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Moral Mor"al, a. [F., fr. It. moralis, fr. mos, moris, manner, custom, habit, way of life, conduct.] 1. Relating to duty or obligation; pertaining to those intentions and actions of which right and wrong, virtue and vice, are predicated, or to the rules by which such intentions and actions ought to be directed; relating to the practice, manners, or conduct of men as social beings in relation to each other, as respects right and wrong, so far as they are properly subject to rules. Keep at the least within the compass of moral actions, which have in them vice or virtue. --Hooker. Mankind is broken loose from moral bands. --Dryden. She had wandered without rule or guidance in a moral wilderness. --Hawthorne. 2. Conformed to accepted rules of right; acting in conformity with such rules; virtuous; just; as, a moral man. Used sometimes in distinction from religious; as, a moral rather than a religious life. The wiser and more moral part of mankind. --Sir M. Hale. 3. Capable of right and wrong action or of being governed by a sense of right; subject to the law of duty. A moral agent is a being capable of those actions that have a moral quality, and which can properly be denominated good or evil in a moral sense. --J. Edwards. 4. Acting upon or through one's moral nature or sense of right, or suited to act in such a manner; as, a moral arguments; moral considerations. Sometimes opposed to material and physical; as, moral pressure or support. 5. Supported by reason or probability; practically sufficient; -- opposed to legal or demonstrable; as, a moral evidence; a moral certainty. 6. Serving to teach or convey a moral; as, a moral lesson; moral tales. Moral agent, a being who is capable of acting with reference to right and wrong. Moral certainty, a very high degree or probability, although not demonstrable as a certainty; a probability of so high a degree that it can be confidently acted upon in the affairs of life; as, there is a moral certainty of his guilt. Moral insanity, insanity, so called, of the moral system; badness alleged to be irresponsible. Moral philosophy, the science of duty; the science which treats of the nature and condition of man as a moral being, of the duties which result from his moral relations, and the reasons on which they are founded. Moral play, an allegorical play; a morality. [Obs.] Moral sense, the power of moral judgment and feeling; the capacity to perceive what is right or wrong in moral conduct, and to approve or disapprove, independently of education or the knowledge of any positive rule or law. Moral theology, theology applied to morals; practical theology; casuistry.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Moral Mor"al, v. i. To moralize. [Obs.] --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Moral Mor"al, n. 1. The doctrine or practice of the duties of life; manner of living as regards right and wrong; conduct; behavior; -- usually in the plural. Corrupt in their morals as vice could make them. --South. 2. The inner meaning or significance of a fable, a narrative, an occurrence, an experience, etc.; the practical lesson which anything is designed or fitted to teach; the doctrine meant to be inculcated by a fiction; a maxim. Thus may we gather honey from the weed, And make a moral of the devil himself. --Shak. To point a moral, or adorn a tale. --Johnson. We protest against the principle that the world of pure comedy is one into which no moral enters. --Macaulay. 3. A morality play. See Morality, 5.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(morals) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Morals are principles and beliefs concerning right and wrong behaviour. ...Western ideas and morals... They have no morals. N-PLURAL 2. Moral means relating to beliefs about what is right or wrong. She describes her own moral dilemma in making the film. ...matters of church doctrine and moral teaching. = ethical ADJ: ADJ n • morally When, if ever, is it morally justifiable to allow a patient to die?... ADV: ADV adj/adv, ADV after v, ADV with cl 3. Moral courage or duty is based on what you believe is right or acceptable, rather than on what the law says should be done. The Government had a moral, if not a legal duty to pay compensation. ADJ: ADJ n 4. A moral person behaves in a way that is believed by most people to be good and right. The people who will be on the committee are moral, cultured, competent people. = ethical ADJ: usu ADJ n • morally Art is not there to improve you morally. ADV: ADV with v 5. If you give someone moral support, you encourage them in what they are doing by expressing approval. Moral as well as financial support was what the West should provide. ADJ: ADJ n 6. The moral of a story or event is what you learn from it about how you should or should not behave. I think the moral of the story is let the buyer beware... = message N-COUNT: usu the N in sing 7. moral victory: see victory

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Ethical, of morals, of ethics, regarding duties, touching obligations. 2. Accountable, bound by duty, bound to do what is right. 3. Virtuous, good, just, upright, honest, honorable. 4. Mental, intellectual, abstract, ideal. 5. Right, just, virtuous. 6. Probable, not demonstrative. II. n. 1. Practical application (of a fable, etc.). 2. Practical lesson (of any event). 3. Intent, meaning, significance.

Moby Thesaurus

Christian, adage, admonishment, admonition, alarm, ana, analects, angelic, aphorism, apophthegm, apothegm, assignment, axiological, axiom, behavior, belief, blameless, brocard, byword, canon, catchword, caution, caveat, chalk talk, chaste, clean, code, collected sayings, commandment, conduct, conscientious, convention, creditable, current saying, customs, decent, deferential, deterrent example, dictate, dictum, discourse, disquisition, distich, duteous, dutiful, epigram, erect, estimable, ethical, ethics, ethological, example, exercise, exposition, expression, fair, final notice, final warning, form, formula, full of integrity, general principle, gnome, godly, golden rule, golden saying, good, guideline, guiding principle, habits, harangue, high-minded, high-principled, highly respectable, hint, homework, homily, honest, honorable, ideals, immaculate, imperative, incorruptible, instruction, integrity, inviolate, irreproachable, just, law, law-abiding, law-loving, law-revering, lecture, lecture-demonstration, lesson, manly, maxim, message, mitzvah, modest, monition, moral lesson, moralistic, morality, moralization, moralizing, morals, mores, mot, motto, noble, norm, notice, notification, obedient, object lesson, observant, oracle, ordinance, phrase, pithy saying, point, practices, preachment, preachy, precept, prescript, principium, principle, principled, principles, probity, proper, proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, pure, recital, recitation, rectitude, regulation, reputable, respectable, respectful, right, right-minded, righteous, rubric, rule, saintlike, saintly, saw, saying, scruples, scrupulous, sentence, sententious expression, seraphic, sermon, sermonizing, set task, settled principle, skull session, slogan, sloka, spotless, stainless, standard, standards, sterling, stock saying, straight, sutra, talk, task, teaching, teachy, tenet, text, threat, tip-off, true-dealing, true-devoted, true-disposing, true-souled, true-spirited, truehearted, truism, ultimatum, unblemished, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, undefiled, unimpeachable, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, untarnished, upright, uprighteous, upstanding, verbum sapienti, verse, virtuous, warning, warning piece, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying, witticism, word, words of wisdom, working principle, working rule, worthy, yeomanly