Moral vs. Morale

By Jaxson

  • Moral

    A moral (from Latin morālis) is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A moral is a lesson in a story or in real life.

  • Morale

    Morale, also known as esprit de corps (French pronunciation: ​[ɛspʀi də kɔʀ]), is the capacity of a group’s members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower, obedience, and self-discipline of a group tasked with performing duties assigned by a superior. According to Alexander H. Leighton, “morale is the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose”. Morale is important in the military, because it improves unit cohesion. Without good morale, a force will be more likely to give up or surrender. Morale is usually assessed at a collective, rather than an individual level. In wartime, civilian morale is also important. Esprit de corps is considered to be an important part of a fighting unit.

Wikipedia
  • Moral (adjective)

    Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially for teaching right behaviour.

    “moral judgments;”

    “a moral poem”

  • Moral (adjective)

    Conforming to a standard of right behaviour; sanctioned by or operative on one’s conscience or ethical judgment.

    “a moral obligation”

  • Moral (adjective)

    Capable of right and wrong action.

    “a moral agent”

  • Moral (adjective)

    Probable but not proved.

    “a moral certainty”

  • Moral (adjective)

    Positively affecting the mind, confidence, or will.

    “a moral victory;”

    “moral support”

  • Moral (noun)

    The ethical significance or practical lesson.

    “The moral of w|The Boy Who Cried Wolf is that if you repeatedly lie, people won’t believe you when you tell the truth.”

  • Moral (noun)

    Moral practices or teachings: modes of conduct.

  • Moral (noun)

    A morality play.

  • Morale (noun)

    The capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others.

    “After the layoffs morale was at an all time low, they were so dispirited nothing was getting done.”

    “Morale is an important quality in soldiers. With good morale they’ll charge into a hail of bullets; without it they won’t even cross a street.”

Wiktionary

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