mo ‧ rale /məˈrɑːl $ məˈræl/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: French ; Origin: moral , from Latin moralis ; ⇨ ↑ moral 1 ]
the level of confidence and positive feelings that people have, especially people who work together, who belong to the same team etc:
A win is always good for morale.
low/high morale
low staff morale
The failed coup caused a loss of morale within the army.
boost/raise/improve/build morale
There is a need to raise morale in the teaching profession.
the Prince’s morale-boosting (=intended to raise morale) mission to the war-torn country
maintain/keep up/restore morale
The media feels pressure to keep the morale of the country up in war time.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ raise/improve morale
The special meetings were intended to raise morale.
▪ boost/bolster morale (=improve morale)
The wins have boosted team morale.
▪ keep up/maintain morale (=keep morale high)
It was becoming difficult to keep up the morale of the troops.
▪ affect morale (=have an effect on morale, usually to make it worse)
The uncertainty has badly affected morale.
▪ lower/damage morale
We need to avoid damaging people's morale.
▪ sap morale (=to gradually lower morale)
Knowing it was all pointless sapped my morale.
▪ destroy morale
The possibility of big job cuts was destroying morale.
▪ restore morale (=make people confident and positive again)
The new manager realized that his first job would be to restore morale.
▪ be good/bad for morale
Well-deserved praise is always good for morale.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + morale
▪ high/good
Morale among the staff was high.
▪ low/poor
The pay levels have resulted in low morale within the company.
▪ shaky (=morale that could easily become low)
The team's morale is shaky after their series of losses.
▪ sagging morale (=when people are getting less confident and positive)
He did his best to boost the sagging morale of the civil service.
▪ staff/team morale
Positive feedback is good for staff morale.
■ morale + NOUN
▪ a morale booster/boost (=something that improves morale)
A letter from home was always a morale booster.
▪ morale problems (=when the morale of a group is low)
A lack of information can cause morale problems.
■ phrases
▪ a lack/loss of morale
Rising sickness levels among your employees may show a loss of morale.
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THESAURUS
▪ confidence the feeling that you have the ability to do things well, and to not make mistakes or be nervous in new situations:
You need patience and confidence to be a good teacher.
| have the confidence to do something :
‘We have the confidence to beat Brazil,’ said Sampson.
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After the accident it took a long time before she had the confidence to get back in a car again.
| full of confidence (=very confident) :
I went into the test full of confidence, but it was more difficult than I had imagined.
▪ self-confidence a strong belief that you can do things well and that other people will like you, which means you behave confidently in most situations:
He’s new in the job but he has plenty of self-confidence.
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Studies show that girls tend to lose some of their self-confidence in their teenage years.
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Students who get some kind of work experience develop greater self-confidence and better communication skills.
▪ morale the level of confidence, satisfaction, and hope that people feel, especially a group of people who work together: low/high morale :
Morale among the soldiers has been low.
| keep up morale (=keep it at a high level) :
They sang songs to keep up their morale until the rescuers arrived.
▪ assurance/self-assurance a feeling of calm confidence in your own abilities, especially because you have a lot of experience:
She envied the older woman’s assurance.
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Danby spoke to the committee with the self-assurance of an expert.
▪ self-esteem the feeling that you are someone who deserves to be liked and respected:
Getting a job did a lot for her self-esteem.
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Sports should build a child’s self-esteem, not damage it.