I. mor ‧ al 1 S3 W2 /ˈmɒrəl $ ˈmɔː-/ BrE AmE 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 OPP 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?
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ moral + NOUN
▪ 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.
II. moral 2 BrE AmE 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.
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THESAURUS
▪ 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.
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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) .
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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My scruples would not allow me to interfere in their relationship.