moral

adj. & n.
—adj.
1 a concerned with goodness or badness of human character or behaviour, or with the distinction between right and wrong. b concerned with accepted rules and standards of human behaviour.
2 a conforming to accepted standards of general conduct. b capable of moral action (man is a moral agent).
3 (of rights or duties etc.) founded on moral law.
4 a concerned with morals or ethics (moral philosophy). b (of a literary work etc.) dealing with moral conduct.
5 concerned with or leading to a psychological effect associated with confidence in a right action (moral courage; moral support; moral victory).
—n.
1 a a moral lesson (esp. at the end) of a fable, story, event, etc. b a moral maxim or principle.
2 (in pl.) moral behaviour, e.g. in sexual conduct.
Phrases and idioms:
moral certainty probability so great as to allow no reasonable doubt. moral law the conditions to be satisfied by any right course of action. moral majority the majority of people, regarded as favouring firm moral standards (orig. Moral Majority, name of a right-wing US movement). moral philosophy the branch of philosophy concerned with ethics. moral pressure persuasion by appealing to a person's moral sense. Moral Re-Armament
1 = OXFORD GROUP.
2 the beliefs of this organization, esp. as applied to international relations. moral science systematic knowledge as applied to morals. moral sense the ability to distinguish right and wrong.
Derivatives:
morally adv.
Etymology: ME f. L moralis f. mos moris custom, pl. mores morals