morality

noun

mo·​ral·​i·​ty mə-ˈra-lə-tē 

mȯ-

plural moralities

1

a

: a doctrine or system of moral conduct

… the basic law which an adequate morality ought to state.

—Marjorie Grene

b

moralities plural : particular moral principles or rules of conduct

… we were all brought up on one of these moralities …

—Psychiatry

2

: conformity to ideals of right human conduct

admitted the expediency of the law but questioned its morality

3

: moral conduct : virtue

… morality today involves a responsible relationship toward the laws of the natural world …

—P. B. Sears

4

a

: a moral discourse, statement, or lesson

ended his lecture with a trite morality

b

: a literary or other imaginative work teaching a moral lesson

"Aesop's Fables" is famous as a morality.

Synonyms of morality

• virtue
• integrity
• honesty
• goodness
• morals
• ethics
• character
• rightness

Examples of morality in a Sentence

The group is calling for a return to traditional morality.

two groups with clashing moralities

The decision may be legally justified, but I question its morality.

Recent Examples on the Web

Baselitz was charged with offending public morality; the case dragged on for two years before being dismissed, but his reputation was cemented. —News Desk, Artforum, 1 May 2026

At the time, plenty of commentators treated Juicero as a morality tale. —Big Think, 1 May 2026

Over the course of 10 years of activism, Maryam Shojaei has been arrested by Iran’s morality police, helped change FIFA policy, and watched her brother, Masoud, captain Iran’s national team. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026

This pair of novellas is about a middle-aged woman, the heroine’s sister, who comes to Tokyo intent on obtaining breast implants and a protagonist contemplating artificial insemination in a culture that doubts the procedure’s morality. —Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Phrases Containing morality

• morality play

Rhymes for morality

• banality
• bestiality
• brutality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• fatality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality

Kids Definition

morality

noun

mo·​ral·​i·​ty mə-ˈral-ət-ē 

plural moralities

1

: moral quality : virtue

judge the morality of an action

2

: a system of moral rules