moral

mor|al¹ W2S3 [ˈmɔrəl US ˈmo:-] adj

[Date: 1300-1400; : Latin; Origin: moralis, from mos 'what people usually or traditionally do']

1.) [only before noun]

relating to the principles of what is right and wrong behaviour, and with the difference between good and evil

→↑morally, ethical ↑ethical

▪ It is easy to have an opinion on a moral issue like the death penalty for murder.

▪ moral philosophy

moral standards/values/principles

▪ I think you can run a business to the highest moral standards.

▪ If we accept that certain babies should be allowed to die, we place doctors in a moral dilemma .

▪ Man is gifted with a moral sense by which he distinguishes good from evil.

2.) [only before noun]

based on your ideas about what is right, rather than on what is legal or practical

▪ The book places a high moral value on marriage and the family unit.

▪ The UN feels that it has the moral authority (=influence because people accept that its beliefs are right) to send troops to the area.

moral duty/obligation/responsibility

▪ A man has a moral duty to obey the law.

▪ It isn't just lack of moral fibre (=lack of the emotional strength to do what you believe is right) which leads to a rising divorce rate.

3.) moral support

encouragement that you give by expressing approval or interest, rather than by giving practical help

▪ Dad came along to give me some moral support.

4.) moral victory

a situation in which you show that your beliefs are right and fair, even if you do not win

▪ Through Joan of Arc, France won a great moral victory.

5.) always behaving in a way that is based on strong principles about what is right and wrong

≠ ↑immoral, amoral ↑amoral

▪ a moral man of high integrity

6.) take/claim/seize the moral high ground

to claim that you are the only person who does what is morally right in a situation, with the intention of being noticed and considered to be good by the public

moral ²

moral² n

1.) morals [plural]

principles or standards of good behaviour, especially in matters of sex

→↑ethics

▪ the morals and customs of the Victorian period

▪ Values and morals are independent of religious faith.

▪ the corruption of public morals (=the standards of behaviour, especially sexual behaviour, expected by society)

▪ a young woman of loose morals (=low standards of sexual behaviour - often used humorously)

2.) a practical lesson about what to do or how to behave, which you learn from a story or from something that happens to you

→↑message moral of

▪ The moral of the film was that crime does not pay.