German word

Moral

Pronunciation

IPA/moˈʁaːl/

Meaning

  • feminine nounmoral

Example

Ich verstehe die Moral der Geschichte.

I understand the moral of the story.

Illustration for Moral (moral)

More examples

In Debatten prallen unterschiedliche Moralvorstellungen aufeinander.

In debates, different moral views clash.

Core concept

A personal or shared compass for judging conduct as right or wrong.

Common phrases

  • höhere Moral fordern

    call for higher moral standards

  • die private Moral

    private morality

  • seine Moralvorstellungen äußern

    express his moral views

Similar words

Werte: Beliefs and principles regarded as important by individuals or communities.
Ethik: A systematic way of examining what is right in society or institutions.
Gewissen: An inner judgment of whether one's own actions are right or wrong.
Anstand: Decent behavior marked by good manners and self-restraint.

Definition in German

Persönlicher oder gesellschaftlicher Maßstab dafür, was als richtig oder falsch gilt.

Word origin

German Moral comes from Latin moralis, 'relating to custom', derived from mos, 'custom', and entered German as a learned borrowing.

Usage tips

  • Moral is feminine in German, so the basic form is die Moral; the plural Moralen is used when distinct moral systems are meant.

Other meanings

  • lessonnoun
  • moralitynoun

Opposites

  • Tugendlosigkeitlack of virtuenoun

Related words

  • Moralitätmoralitynoun
  • moralisierendmoralizingadjective
  • moralischmoraladjective

Word lists with this word