mores

plural noun

mo·​res ˈmȯr-ˌāz 

 also  -(ˌ)ēz

1

: the fixed morally binding customs of a particular group

have tended to withdraw and develop a self-sufficient society of their own, with distinct and rigid mores

—James Stirling

2

: moral attitudes

the evershifting mores of the moment

—Havelock Ellis

3

: habits, manners

organized dancing developed a whole set of mores and practices of its own

—R. L. Taylor

Synonyms

• etiquette
• form
• manner
• proprieties

Examples of mores in a Sentence

the mores of academic life as opposed to those of the business world

Recent Examples on the Web

Lady Glenconner, who was born only six years after Queen Elizabeth, shares the late monarch’s generational and class-based manners and mores, which demanded the performance of reserve and restraint under the most trying of circumstances. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2023

So the fake animal heads collided with real animal rights and Jenner/Kardashian mores, and for a time the explosion swallowed the digisphere whole. —Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2023

Specifically, how to accommodate and respect the traditions and mores of a diverse group when setting a common standard for workplace attire. —Karla L. Miller, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2023

In her decades on the throne, cultural mores evolved dramatically, but the queen remained much the same despite being one of the most famous people in the world: reserved, withdrawn, poker-faced and, to most, fundamentally unknowable. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin, plural of mor-, mos custom

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mores

plural noun

mo·​res ˈmȯ(ə)r-ˌāz 

ˈmō(ə)r-,

 also  -ēz

1

: the unchanging customs of a particular group that are accepted by all group members as moral and necessary for the group's survival

2

: usual behavior : habits, manners