morality

noun

mo·​ral·​i·​ty mə-ˈra-lə-tē 

mȯ-

plural moralities

1

a

: a moral discourse, statement, or lesson

ended his lecture with a trite morality

b

: a literary or other imaginative work teaching a moral lesson

"Aesop's Fables" is famous as a morality.

2

a

: a doctrine or system of moral conduct

the basic law which an adequate morality ought to state

—Marjorie Grene

b

moralities plural : particular moral principles or rules of conduct

we were all brought up on one of these moralities

—Psychiatry

3

: conformity to ideals of right human conduct

admitted the expediency of the law but questioned its morality

4

: moral conduct : virtue

morality today involves a responsible relationship toward the laws of the natural world

—P. B. Sears

Synonyms

• character
• decency
• goodness
• honesty
• integrity
• probity
• rectitude
• righteousness
• rightness
• uprightness
• virtue
• virtuousness

Examples of morality in a Sentence

The group is calling for a return to traditional morality.

two groups with clashing moralities

The decision may be legally justified, but I question its morality.

Recent Examples on the Web

The security agents who enforce hijab laws, informally called morality police, have recently started easing public confrontations with women over the headscarves, following the election of reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian who campaigned on opposing these police patrols. —Hannah Peart, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024

Incorporating a mixture of bodycam, dash-camera, and cellphone footage to create a cinema verité effect, the innovative series explores the morality of protecting and serving a community. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024

And many have mused over the morality of autonomous weapons, which could take lives without any human input or direction. —Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024

Superficially about a love triangle between the lovely Julie; her tutor, Saint-Preux; and Julie’s husband, Monsieur de Wolmar, Rousseau’s novel is a defense of personal morality against social expectations. —Anahid Nersessian, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing morality

• morality play

Kids Definition

morality

noun

mo·​ral·​i·​ty mə-ˈral-ət-ē 

plural moralities

1

: moral quality : virtue

judge the morality of an action

2

: a system of moral rules