Meaning & use
moral standards
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Meanings
nounplural
The principles about what is right and wrong that guide how a person or group behaves and judges others.
Grammar: Usually plural: She has high moral standards; the singular moral standard is rare.
Patterns
- high moral standards
- moral standards of a community
- live up to moral standards
Her parents taught her to keep high moral standards, even when no one was watching.
People disagree about whether moral standards change over time.
The company expects employees to meet strict moral standards.
nounplural
The level of honesty and decency accepted in a society or profession, against which actions are judged.
Grammar: Often used in talk about public life: falling moral standards.
Patterns
- decline in moral standards
- lower moral standards
Some commentators claim that moral standards in public life have fallen.
The doctor was criticised for failing to uphold professional moral standards.
Different cultures may set different moral standards for the same behaviour.
Common combinations
- high moral standards
- The judge was known for her high moral standards.
- uphold moral standards
- Teachers are expected to uphold moral standards in the classroom.
- lower moral standards
- He accused the industry of lowering moral standards for profit.
- decline in moral standards
- Older voters often talk about a decline in moral standards.
- judge by moral standards
- You can't judge the past by today's moral standards.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ethics
- Ethics often refers to a formal system or professional code, while moral standards sounds more personal.
- principles
- Principles are the basic beliefs themselves, whereas moral standards stresses the level of behaviour you hold yourself to.
- values
- Values is broader and includes things you care about, not only right and wrong.
- morals
- Morals is a shorter and more informal way to say much the same, and can sound slightly old-fashioned.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: moral standards or morale? moral standards or moral standard vs legal standard?
moral standards vs morale
Morale is the confidence or spirit of a group, not their sense of right and wrong.
moral standards vs moral standard vs legal standard
A moral standard is what people believe is right, while a legal standard is what the law requires.
Practice
The mayor resigned because she felt she had failed to live up to her own ____.
Choose one answer.
Moral standards are the principles of right and wrong that a person tries to follow. Morale is about spirit, not conduct, so it does not fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moral standards”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.