moral 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmȯr-əl How to pronounce moral (audio)
Definition of moralnext
1
as in ethical
conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue the kind of moral behavior that is expected of everyone in the parish's youth organization

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in honorable
guided by or in accordance with one's sense of right and wrong a moral decision to refrain from sexual relations until after marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

moral

2 of 2

noun

as in principle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective moral differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of moral are ethical, noble, righteous, and virtuous. While all these words mean "conforming to a standard of what is right and good," moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong.

the basic moral values of a community

When is ethical a more appropriate choice than moral?

The synonyms ethical and moral are sometimes interchangeable, but ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity.

committed to the highest ethical principles

When might noble be a better fit than moral?

Although the words noble and moral have much in common, noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character.

had the noblest of reasons for seeking office

In what contexts can righteous take the place of moral?

In some situations, the words righteous and moral are roughly equivalent. However, righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious.

wished to be righteous before God and the world

When could virtuous be used to replace moral?

While the synonyms virtuous and moral are close in meaning, virtuous implies moral excellence in character.

not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of moral
Adjective
To capture that duality, Egerton created a moral framework for Dave that doesn’t necessarily align with conventional standards. —Jp Mangalindan, Time, 4 June 2025 Trump’s moral choice is to respect Gulf states’ unique history, culture, religion, and society. —Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 4 June 2025
Noun
And then there’s the moral of the story — or in this case, a couple of morals. —Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025 Since coming into the NBA, the 30-year-old Hart has bounced from one team to another, seemingly being the same player with the same morals. —James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for moral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moral
  1. ethical
  2. honorable
  3. principle
  4. honest
  5. conscientious
  6. value
  7. true
  8. theory
Adjective
  • The woman's family later filed a lawsuit against Willet and his organization, questioning the circumstances surrounding her death and the legal and ethical oversight — or lack thereof — in her use of the pod, per the outlets.
    — Christina Coulter, People.com, 3 June 2025
  • Skills like empathy, cultural understanding and ethical decision-making can’t be replicated by algorithms.
    — Braden Yuill, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Definition of ethical
Adjective
  • The comparison with Lexus is honorable but not accurate.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • We were honored because our parents were honorable.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
Definition of honorable
Noun
  • This principle seems obvious, yet many measurement approaches inadvertently push brands toward funnel imbalance.
    — Cody Greco, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
  • The clean principle means cleaning not only your watermelon but also your hands, knives, and other utensils before cutting into and preparing the fruit.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2025
Definition of principle
Adjective
  • Like so many good honest people with common sense who work hard and pay taxes, the Democrat party has abandoned them.
    — Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
  • Because spontaneous conversations are harder in a hybrid environment, actively create spaces for honest discussions.
    — Ayaskant Sarangi, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Definition of honest
Adjective
  • Jeff seems to be both the most conscientious and deplorable character.
    — Andrew Wallenstein, Variety, 28 May 2025
  • This will be a huge advantage to my clients that can’t find enough hourly warehouse workers, or workers that are conscientious enough to track quantities in this manner.
    — Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
Definition of conscientious
Noun
  • Perplexity, which is currently fundraising at a $14 billion valuation, has shown strong interest in the smartphone market and understanding of the value of being a default AI service.
    — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 6 June 2025
  • Moreover, Mercury and Jupiter will enter Cancer, bringing an influx of emotional energy to your second house of stability, finances and values, which also shifts your focus in the process.
    — Valerie Mesa, People.com, 6 June 2025
Definition of value
Adjective
  • The formula for ‘true tackles’ is slightly more long-winded: tackles + challenges lost + fouls committed.
    — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • Setbacks may tempt you to stray from your vision, but staying true to yourself attracts the right clients, collaborators and opportunities.
    — Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2025
Definition of true
Noun
  • But the people interviewed for this story float several theories.
    — Tyler Hicks, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
  • As fear grew in 2023 over the failure to reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling, the White House was said to be considering an option of last resort: an untested legal theory that involves invoking the 14th Amendment.
    — Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 June 2025
Definition of theory

Browse Nearby Words

mop-ups
moral
moralism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Moral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moral. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on moral

Nglish: Translation of moral for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Bring' vs. 'Take'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

Some Data About 'Datum'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All