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morally

 - 2 dictionary results

mor⋅al⋅ly

[mawr-uh-lee, mor-]
–adverb
1. in a moral manner.
2. from a moral point of view: morally reprehensible.
3. virtuously.
4. virtually; practically.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME; see moral, -ly
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To morally
mor·al   (môr'əl, mŏr'-)   
adj.  
  1. Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character: moral scrutiny; a moral quandary.

  2. Teaching or exhibiting goodness or correctness of character and behavior: a moral lesson.

  3. Conforming to standards of what is right or just in behavior; virtuous: a moral life.

  4. Arising from conscience or the sense of right and wrong: a moral obligation.

  5. Having psychological rather than physical or tangible effects: a moral victory; moral support.

  6. Based on strong likelihood or firm conviction, rather than on the actual evidence: a moral certainty.

n.  
  1. The lesson or principle contained in or taught by a fable, a story, or an event.

  2. A concisely expressed precept or general truth; a maxim.

  3. morals Rules or habits of conduct, especially of sexual conduct, with reference to standards of right and wrong: a person of loose morals; a decline in the public morals.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mōrālis, from mōs, mōr-, custom; see mē-1 in Indo-European roots.]
mor'al·ly adv.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean in accord with right or good conduct. Moral applies to personal character and behavior, especially sexual conduct: "Our moral sense dictates a clearcut preference for these societies which share with us an abiding respect for individual human rights" (Jimmy Carter).
Ethical stresses idealistic standards of right and wrong: "Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants" (Omar N. Bradley).
Virtuous implies moral excellence and loftiness of character: "The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous" (Frederick Douglass).
Righteous emphasizes moral uprightness; when it is applied to actions, reactions, or impulses, it often implies justifiable outrage: "He was . . . stirred by righteous wrath" (John Galsworthy).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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