moral

moral — adjective

1. relating to the personal principles a person uses to decide whether an action is

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

relating to the personal principles a person uses to decide whether an action is good or bad, fair or unfair, right or wrong — ideas that come from inside a person's conscience or values rather than from written laws.

Example

Jude faced a moral dilemma when a friend asked him to lie as an alibi.

moral question — a dilemma about right and wrong

The company paid fair wages based on moral principles, not just on legal requirements.

moral principles — beliefs that guide behaviour

Common collocations
  • moral principles
  • moral values
  • moral duty
  • moral obligation
  • moral question
  • moral choice
  • moral problem
  • moral responsibility
Synonyms
  • ethical

    more formal; often used in professional or academic contexts

  • conscientious

    stresses careful attention to doing the right thing

  • principled

    emphasises having a strong, consistent set of values

Antonyms
  • immoral

    direct opposite; describes actions or people that go against moral principles

  • unethical

    formal opposite, common in business and professional contexts

Grammar Patterns

moral + noun (principle, duty, question, values)

be moral to + verb

Usage Note

Frequently followed by nouns such as 'principle', 'duty', 'obligation', 'choice', or 'question'. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 describes the PRINCIPLES themselves; sense 2 describes a PERSON who follows those principles.

Common Mistakes

It is not moral to park here — you will get a ticket.
It is not legal to park here
you will get a ticket.' — 'moral' is about right and wrong based on personal values, not about obeying written laws.
That is a moral person who lives ethically.
She is a moral person who lives ethically.
when using 'moral' to describe someone's character (sense 2), make the person the subject; 'moral person' does not mean 'a good example of a person'.

2. behaving in a way that most people in a society would consider honest, fair, and

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

behaving in a way that most people in a society would consider honest, fair, and good — for example telling the truth, keeping promises, and choosing not to cheat or harm others.

Example

The community sees Niran as a moral person who never lies or cheats.

moral person — someone who behaves honestly

Emma tries to live a moral life by treating everyone with kindness and respect.

Common collocations
  • moral person
  • moral man
  • moral woman
  • moral life
  • moral character
  • deeply moral
  • highly moral
Synonyms
  • virtuous

    more formal or literary; emphasises high moral excellence

  • upright

    traditional word for someone who is honest and follows rules

  • decent

    less formal; suggests basic goodness and fairness in daily life

Antonyms
  • immoral

    describes a person who deliberately acts against moral standards

  • corrupt

    stronger; suggests dishonesty for personal gain, often in power

Grammar Patterns

moral + noun (person, man, woman, life)

be moral

Usage Note

Describes a person's character directly. This sense is the one used when saying someone is 'a moral person'. It is less common in attributive position ('moral man') than the predicative after 'be' or 'seem'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 describes the PERSON; sense 1 describes the PRINCIPLES.

Common Mistakes

I want to buy a moral car.
I want to buy an environmentally friendly car.
'moral' only describes people, behaviour, or life choices, not objects.
She is more moral than him about homework.
She is more careful about completing her homework than him.
for everyday tasks that do not involve right/wrong decisions, use a more specific adjective.
Idioms

moral high ground

idiom

a position in an argument or disagreement where you claim that your side is more honest, fair, or morally correct than the other side.

Politicians on both sides tried to claim the moral high ground by accusing each other of corruption.

Instead of taking the moral high ground and forgiving the mistake, she chose to publicly humiliate him.

moral victory

idiom

a situation in which you lose a competition, election, or argument but still feel that your position, principles, or behaviour were morally better than those of the winner.

The small team lost the court case, but their fight for fair treatment felt like a moral victory.

Although the candidate finished third in the election, she called it a moral victory because her message reached so many voters.

take, claim, seize, etc. the moral high ground

idiom

To say or act as if your position in a disagreement is more honest or fair than the other person's.

During the debate, Sara claimed the moral high ground by citing human rights.

Why does Brian always seize the moral high ground when we argue about politics?

moral — noun

Word family

  • morally
    adverbB1
  • morality
    nounB1
  • moralize
    verbC1
  • immoral
    adjectiveB2
  • immorally
    adverbC1
  • immorality
    nounC1
  • amoral
    adjectiveC1
  • moralistic
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe behaviour connected to right and wrong, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Ethical' is more formal and often used in professional contexts — a doctor's ethical duty is bound by a code of conduct, not just personal feelings. 'Principled' emphasises having a clear, consistent set of values that you refuse to compromise, even under pressure. 'Moralistic' carries a negative tone, suggesting someone judges others harshly by their own narrow standards rather than by genuine concern for right and wrong. 'Righteous' is strong and old-fashioned; it describes someone who is certain they are morally correct, but can sound self-important in modern use. For everyday writing about a person's good character, 'principled' is the most neutral and safe choice. For example: 'Dr. Chen made the ethical choice to report the error' versus 'His moralistic attitude annoyed the team — he criticised everyone for small mistakes.'

ethical ↗principledmoralisticrighteous ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • moral compass
  • moral code
  • moral support
  • moral fibre
  • moral authority

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'moralis', meaning 'relating to manners or customs', created by the Roman philosopher Cicero to translate the Greek word 'ēthikos' (ethical). The root 'mos' (plural 'mores') referred to the traditional customs and habits of a community. The word entered English through Old French 'moral' in the 14th century. The noun sense meaning 'lesson of a story' dates from the early 1600s.