morale

noun

mo·rale mə-ˈral

: moral principles, teachings, or conduct

: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand

The team's morale is high.

: a sense of common purpose with respect to a group : esprit de corps

The ship's morale improved after two days of shore leave.

: the level of individual psychological well-being based on such factors as a sense of purpose and confidence in the future

The failure of his play did not affect his morale.

Examples of morale in a Sentence

The team is playing well and their morale is high. The President's speech boosted the morale of the troops.

Recent Examples on the Web The largest share of highly motivated and committed workers is in the information and technology sector, while morale is lowest in transportation and warehousing. —

Jane Thier, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2023 Searchers are taking water breaks as necessary and morale is high, Bivens said Thursday. —

Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023 What has been much more difficult to discern is the squad’s morale, its fellow feeling, its unity. —

Rory Smith, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023 However the defection’s impact may primarily be on morale—revealing that a pilot in Russia’s military was sufficiently demoralized by the war to take on the considerable risks of defection in wartime. —

Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 30 Aug. 2023 Though there is no strong link between confidence and consumer spending, economists viewed the ebb in morale as sign of a slowing economy. —

Reuters, NBC News, 29 Aug. 2023 The opera was performed dozens of times and boosted everyone’s morale. —

Douglas Starr, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023 After Manning’s promotion, morale reportedly plummeted in the department. —

Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 28 July 2023 They were forced to bring in expensive traveling nurses and then, their non-COVID-19 business plummeted – along with employee morale. —

Jmanning, oregonlive, 17 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'morale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

in sense 1, from French, from feminine of moral, adjective; in other senses, modification of French moral morale, from moral, adjective

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of morale was in 1752

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Morale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morale. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

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Kids Definition

morale

noun

mo·rale mə-ˈral

: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, spirit, or loyalty) of an individual or a group with regard to a task or goal to be accomplished