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    morality

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    morality
    mo‧ral‧i‧ty /məˈræləti, məˈrælɪti/ noun [uncountable]
     Word Family: noun: moral, morals, morality ≠ immorality, moralist, amorality; adjective: moral ≠ immoral, amoral, moralistic; verb: moralize; adverb: morally ≠ immorally
    1. beliefs or ideas about what is right and wrong and about how people should behave:
        sexual morality
        public/private/personal morality
        the decline in standards of personal morality
        The authorities are protectors of public morality.
        conventional/traditional morality
        a lack of concern for conventional morality
    2. the degree to which something is right or acceptable
       OPP  immorality
        morality of
        a discussion on the morality of abortion
         
    THESAURUS
       ▪ morals all of the basic ideas that a person or group of people has about what is morally good and right: The man has no morals at all. | He felt that society's morals were declining, as shown by increases in public drunkenness and violence.
       ▪ morality ideas about what is right and wrong, and what is acceptable behaviour - used when talking about whether it is right to do a particular thing, or when talking about moral standards generally: Several advisers had very different views on the morality of the action (=on whether it was morally right). | They wanted to ban the film, on the grounds of protecting public morality.
       ▪ ethics moral rules for deciding what is right and wrong - often used about this as a subject that people study and discuss: Doctors must follow a strict code of ethics. | I'm not sure about the ethics of using human embryos for research (=I'm not sure that it is morally right).
       ▪ principles moral rules or beliefs about what is right and wrong, which make you decide what you should and should not do: He stuck to his principles and spoke out against injustice, despite the risks. | It's against their principles to kill any living thing.
       ▪ values your ideas about what is important in life: During the 1960s, many young people rejected their parents' values. | He stressed the importance of spiritual values.
       ▪ scruples beliefs about what is right and wrong that prevent you from doing bad things: She had no scruples about listening to their private conversation. | My scruples would not allow me to interfere in their relationship.