moral

The word “moral” means concerned with right and wrong behaviour, or conforming to accepted standards of good conduct. In plain terms, to do with what is right and wrong, or the lesson a story teaches about that.

“Moral” is pronounced MO-ruhl (/ˈmoɹəl/ in IPA).

Here is “moral” used in a sentence: “She felt a moral obligation to tell the truth.”

The opposite of “moral” — its antonyms — are immoral, unethical, corrupt, unscrupulous and amoral.

Depending on how it is used, “moral” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “moral” comes from Latin. From Old French moral, from Latin mōrālis, "relating to manners or morals," coined by Cicero to translate the Greek ēthikós.

“Moral” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Moral” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: concerned with right and wrong behaviour, or conforming to accepted standards of good conduct.

Moral is an adjective (and sometimes a noun) about right and wrong, as in 'a moral decision.' Morale is a noun meaning the confidence and spirit of a person or group, as in 'team morale is high.' They are pronounced differently, with morale stressed on the second syllable.

The words overlap and are often interchangeable. Moral tends to describe an individual's personal sense of right and wrong, often shaped by upbringing or belief. Ethical more often refers to agreed standards of conduct, especially formal codes within a profession. Both concern behaving rightly, but from slightly different angles.

The direct opposite is immoral, meaning behaviour that breaks accepted standards of right and wrong. A related word is amoral, which is different: it describes someone or something with no sense of morality at all, rather than actively doing wrong. Unethical is another common antonym.