Did you know?
Ethics vs Morals: Is there a difference?
Ethics and morals are both used in the plural and are often regarded as synonyms, but there is some distinction in how they are used.
Morals often describes one's particular values concerning what is right and what is wrong:
It would go against my morals to help you cheat on the test.
He appears to view himself as a kind of culture warrior, striking out against the crumbling morals of modern society.
Jonathan Goldsbie, Now Toronto, 16 Oct. 2014
While ethics can refer broadly to moral principles, one often sees it applied to questions of correct behavior within a relatively narrow area of activity:
Our class had a debate over the ethics of genetic testing.
Anybody, it seemed, could make the music -- if they couldn't play guitar, they could push a button -- and nobody worried about the ethics of appropriating riffs.
Jennifer Foote, Newsweek, 23 July 1990
In addition, morals usually connotes an element of subjective preference, while ethics tends to suggest aspects of universal fairness and the question of whether or not an action is responsible:
Perhaps you don’t like Kim Kardashian, or her family, or her morals don’t align with yours, or you just think it’s weird that she might have had some plastic surgery, likes to apply makeup in a really complicated way and named her kid “Saint.”
Sarah Boboltz, The Huffington Post, 12 Oct. 2016The Frenches, both professors in The Media School, focused on the ethics of making medical decisions for a child who could not express her own wishes yet…
Chris Mura, Indiana Daily Student, 18 Oct. 2016
Synonyms
Examples of moral in a Sentence
Norman Mailer, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002
… trip-wire sensitivity to perceived insult often leads to unjustifiable firings and other moral and legal imbroglios.
—John McWhorter, New Republic, 14 Jan. 2002
The modern liberal state was premised on the notion that in the interests of political peace, government would not take sides among the differing moral claims made by religion and traditional culture.
—Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999
It was our desire for a moral world, the deep wish to assert the existence of goodness, that generated, as it continues to do, political fantasy.
—Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
The author avoids making moral judgments.
Each story teaches an important moral lesson.
He felt that he had a moral obligation to help the poor.
We're confident she has the moral fiber to make the right decision.
Their behavior was not moral.
Animals are not moral creatures and are not responsible for their actions.
Noun
The moral of the story is to be satisfied with what you have.
The moral here is: pay attention to the warning lights in your car.
Socrates was accused of corrupting the morals of the youth of Athens.
The author points to recent cases of fraud as evidence of the lack of morals in the business world.
See More
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023
Franco expects his audience to work for its reward, and that surely means alienating a segment who’d rather watch pretty pictures with likable protagonists than a film with so many visual and moral gray areas.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
Like so many quandaries, yours involves both empirical and moral considerations.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
An overlong, windy film that purports to investigate the hypocrisy, shallowness and moral decay of wealthy Italians but feels too embedded in that world to have much bite, this is a soulless bit of self-indulgence that seems far too pleased with itself.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2023
In the end, funding these services on the front end is less expensive — in both financial and moral terms — than the cost of not investing in these services.
—Will Stewart, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023
The air had gone out of the theology, but the moral cushions could still be plumped up.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
During the Brotherhood of Steel questline, a doctor asks me a moral question.
—Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 3 Sep. 2023
Golda’s indifference to the deeper moral implications of politics extends to the casting of the reliably likable Liev Schreiber as Kissinger; to prepare for the role, Schreiber actually met with the century-old diplomat in his apartment and incorporated his recollections into the script.
—David Klion, The New Republic, 1 Sep. 2023
Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023
Maria takes matters into her own hands when his life is threatened, making difficult choices that challenge her morals and identity as a working class normie.
—Starr Savoy, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023
Instill morals, values, and discipline in your child.
—Dr. Shanessa Fenner, Essence, 18 Aug. 2023
My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 17 Aug. 2023
Really, the moral of the tale is: the more steps, the merrier.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2023
Trailer | Better Call Saul Watch on A spin-off of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul is a prequel series focusing on Saul Goodman, a criminal lawyer who puts aside his morals to work alongside various drug lords.
—Milan Polk, Men's Health, 13 Aug. 2023
The rent is high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable.
—Scott Howard, National Review, 18 July 2023
Neville’s filmmaking morals were called into question, as were the ethical boundaries of the entire docu community.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 1 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing moral
Articles Related to moral
Dictionary Entries Near moral
Cite this Entry
“Moral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moral. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on moral
Nglish: Translation of moral for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of moral for Arabic Speakers
Share