French word

moral

Pronunciation

IPA/moʁal/

Meaning

  • masculine nounspirits

Example

Son moral est bas depuis la semaine dernière.

His spirits have been low since last week.

Illustration for moral (spirits)

More examples

Je lui ai remonté le moral.

I lifted his spirits.

Core concept

A person's or group's psychological fuel, strong when confidence and enthusiasm are high and weak when discouragement takes over.

Common phrases

  • avoir le moral

    be in good spirits

  • remonter le moral

    lift ___'s spirits

  • perdre le moral

    lose heart

  • garder le moral

    keep one's spirits up

Similar words

humeur: The emotional state or temper prevailing at a particular time.
énergie: The amount of physical or mental energy supporting action and mood.
motivation: The psychological drive to do something or pursue a purpose.

Definition in French

État d'esprit d'une personne ou d'un groupe qui traduit l'entrain, la confiance ou le découragement.

Word origin

French developed the noun moral from the adjective moral, which traces back through Latin moralis to mos, moris, meaning custom.

Usage tips

  • The common expression avoir le moral means to feel upbeat, while avoir le moral à zéro means to feel completely discouraged.

Other meanings

  • moralenoun

Opposites

  • démoralisationdemoralizationnoun
  • découragementdiscouragementnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word