Difference Between Moral and Morale

August 2022 · 5 minute read

English is a very inclusive language. It has taken in words from Arabic, from French, from Germanic, from Latin, etc.

There are many interesting words in English that have similar sounds and look similar, these are called Homophones. Although the words are identical, their meanings and usage are significantly different.

Moral vs Morale

The main difference between moral and morale is that moral refers to the ethics and values of a person or ethics or values derived from a story or event whereas morale is the enthusiastic confidence and determination of a person or a group. Moral is something that describes an individual while morale is the measure of the degree of enthusiastic values to work or to do something.

For example, we say:

  • The moral of the story is that we must respect natural resources and conserve them.
  • The morale of the soldiers must be kept high.
  • For better clarity,

  • The moral of the story is that our morale must always be high, no matter how high is the loss.
  •  

    Comparison Table Between Moral and Morale (in Tabular Form)

    Parameter of ComparisonMoralMorale
    MeaningMoral refers to the ethical values and life rules of a person or those derived from an event or story.Morale refers to the degree of confidence or determination or enthusiasm of a person or a group.
    Type of SpeechIt can be a noun (values derived from a story) or an adjective (values that an individual possesses).It can only be a noun (this is something that a group or a person has).
    OriginIt originated from the Latin Language.It originated from the French language.
    PronunciationIt is pronounced by stressing over the first vowel.It is pronounced by stressing more over the second vowel.
    Example· One must always abide by his/her own morals.
    · It is your moral obligation to stand against the wrong.
    · I have lost two continuous matches, my morale is very low.
    · High morale is key to success.
     

    What is Moral?

    Moral denotes values, ethics, some societal rules, and some own principles that a person possesses. It can be used as a noun or as an adjective.

    Noun: Moral becomes a noun if it denotes the values gained from an incident or a story. The most common use in this case is,

  • The moral of the story is that honesty is the best policy.
  • Hence, the moral of today is that you can’t win over him unless you practice every day.
  • Adjective: Moral is an adjective when it is used to describe a person. It then acts as an attribute.

  • He would always abide by his moral values.
  • She has her own morals.
  • The origin of the word is found in Latin. It is pronounced by emphasizing on the first vowel or say the first syllable. Moral values like honesty, respect for elders and society, compromise and consensus, and justice.

     

    What is Morale?

    Morale is the measure degree of excitement and belief and eagerness that a group or an individual possesses while working over something or some project. It is used as a noun only.

    Noun: It is used to measure the excitement or passionate feelings and emotions of a group of individuals.

  • I lost my morale after I broke my leg in the accident.
  • Their morale is high, they would surely succeed.
  • The origin of the word is found in the French language. It is pronounced by putting more emphasis on the second vowel or syllable.

    Morale is always measured in qualitative terms. It can be “high” or “low”.

    It is the level of psychological well being and self-motivation for any future work. It is widely known that higher morale, higher is the productivity of an individual or employees.

    Morale can be boosted either by incentivizing an individual by perks and offers or by skill development courses and training. Having skills would allow people to work more confidently and with time efficiency, therefore, there would be two rounds of morale-boosting.

    One, the initial level where morale is lifted by training and Two, where the morale is boosted because of time efficiency and higher confidence.

    Main Differences Between Moral and Morale

  • Moral refers to the principles, rules, and ethical values of a person or a group. It can also refer to the values or lesson gained from a story or a real-life happening while morale refers to the degree of enthusiasm a group or an individual possess at the time of working.
  • Moral can be used both as a noun and as an adjective while Morale can be a Noun only. Moral is a noun when we consider something that is gained from an incident while an adjective when it describes attributes of an individual or a group or a society.
  • Moral has a Latin Origin while Morale has a French origin.
  • Moral is pronounced by putting emphasis on the first vowel or first syllable while we emphasize more on the second vowel or second syllable while pronouncing morale.
  • Examples, The moral of the story is that morale is the key to success. The word moral refers to something gained from the story or event while morale refers to the confidence and determination of a person or a group.
  •  

    Conclusion

    A clear understanding of concepts, usage, and contexts of similar words is significant to be proficient in English and to excel. Most of the competitive exams, in order to check the level of detailed knowledge of a candidate, ask questions relating to homophones/ homonyms.

    Moral refers to the ethical values and principles of a person or a group or a society while Morale is the measure of the degree of enthusiasm, passion, and confidence of an individual or a group while conducting their duties or some tasks. Moral can sometimes be used as a noun when it refers to principles gained from an event or an inspiring story.

    Moral can be both a noun or an adjective while morale can only be a noun.

    References

  • https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/moral
  • https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/morale
  • ncG1vNJzZmiZo6Cur8XDop2fnaKau6SxjZympmeUnrOnsdGepZydXZeytcPEnqVmpZ%2Bnrq15wKebZqWfp66tsY4%3D