morale

noun

mo·​rale mə-ˈral 

1

: moral principles, teachings, or conduct

2

a

: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand

The team's morale is high.

b

: a sense of common purpose with respect to a group : esprit de corps

The ship's morale improved after two days of shore leave.

3

: the level of individual psychological well-being based on such factors as a sense of purpose and confidence in the future

The failure of his play did not affect his morale.

Examples of morale in a Sentence

The team is playing well and their morale is high.

The President's speech boosted the morale of the troops.

Recent Examples on the Web

Internal discussions at Reclamation are now focused on how to protect critical staff who oversee dam safety and hydropower, but agency morale is extremely low, two of the sources said. —Ella Nilsen, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025

Turning ennui into engagement There are actions both bosses and employees can take to improve morale when work starts to feel boring and underwhelming. —Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 13 Mar. 2025

The failure of Iran’s proxies and allies in two Arab countries has made the Islamic Republic seem shaky and has strengthened the morale of the regime’s opposition. —Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2025

However, if integration missteps occur, there can be irreparable damage to the business, not only in financial terms in the form of write-offs of goodwill on the balance sheet, but also through reputational harm in the industry, dissatisfaction among customers and low morale of employees. —Raj Sharma, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

in sense 1, from French, from feminine of moral, adjective; in other senses, modification of French moral morale, from moral, adjective

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for morale

• canal
• chorale
• corral
• ghazal
• locale
• royale
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• pal
• sal

Kids Definition

morale

noun

mo·​rale mə-ˈral 

: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, spirit, or loyalty) of an individual or a group with regard to a task or goal to be accomplished