Meaning & use
morale
Last updated
UK/məˈrɑːl/
US/məˈræl/
Meaning
noununcountable
The confidence, spirit and willingness to keep going that a group of people feels, especially when things are difficult.
Grammar: No plural and no a/an: morale is low, not a morale.
Patterns
- boost morale
- morale is low
- morale among someone
Morale among the staff fell after the budget cuts.
The coach gave a speech to lift the team's morale.
Free lunches did little to improve morale in the office.
Common combinations
- boost morale
- A surprise holiday bonus boosted morale.
- low morale
- Low morale led many workers to quit.
- raise morale
- The visit was meant to raise morale among the troops.
- damage morale
- Constant reorganizing damaged morale.
- morale problem
- The manager admitted there was a morale problem.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spirit
- Spirit is broader and can describe a single person's attitude, whereas morale refers to a group's mood.
- confidence
- Confidence is belief in success; morale also includes enthusiasm and commitment.
- motivation
- Motivation is the drive to act, often of an individual; morale is a shared mood.
Opposites
Word family
- demoralize verb
- to make people lose confidence and hope
- demoralizing adjective
- causing loss of confidence
Commonly confused: morale or moral?
morale vs moral
Moral relates to right and wrong, or is a lesson in a story; morale is the group's spirit.
Practice
After months of unpaid overtime, staff ____ was at an all-time low.
Choose one answer.
Morale means the shared spirit of a group. Moral, morals and morality concern right and wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “morale”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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