morale

M3O1R1A1L1E1
UK/məˈɹɑːl/Canada, US/məˈɹæl/

noun

The mental and emotional state of a person or group, especially their level of confidence, enthusiasm, and loyalty with regard to a function or task.

“A morale-boosting exercise”

Similar
esprit de corpsteam spirit
OriginFrench morale ← Latin mōrāli ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? →
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

nounmorale (countable and uncountable, plural morales)

plural morales

  1. countableuncountableThe mental and emotional state of a person or group, especially their level of confidence, enthusiasm, and loyalty with regard to a function or task.

    A morale-boosting exercise

    3 more examples

    After the layoffs, morale was at an all time low; the staff were so dispirited nothing was getting done.

    Morale is an important quality in soldiers. With good morale they'll charge into a hail of bullets; without it they won't even cross a street.

    Proponents of the race — notably Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mary Wittenberg, director of the marathon — said the event would provide a needed morale boost, as well as an economic one.

    2012 November 2, Ken Belson, New York Times, retrieved 02 Nov 2012

    Synonyms: esprit de corps

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe mental and emotional state of a person or group, especially their level of confidence, enthusiasm, and loyalty with regard to a function or task.

Similar
esprit de corps

More synonyms by meaning

nounthe spirit of a group that makes the members want the group to succeed

Similar
esprit de corpsteam spirit
Broader
dispositiontemperament
Also see
esprit de corpsteam spirit

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*med-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meh₁-
  3. Proto-Italic*mōs
  4. Latinmōs
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  7. Latinmōrāli
  8. Frenchmorale
  9. Englishmorale

Borrowed from French morale.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic رُوح مَعْنَوِيَّة
  • رُوح مَعْنَوِيَّة (rūḥ maʕnawiyya)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Bulgarian дух, мора́лно състоя́ние
  • дух (duh)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • мора́лно състоя́ние (morálno săstojánie)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • мора́лен дух (morálen duh)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Chinese Cantonese 士氣 /士气
  • 士氣 /士气 (si⁶ hei³)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Chinese Mandarin 士氣 /士气, 信心
  • 士氣 /士气 (shìqì)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • 信心 (xìnxīn)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Czech morálka
  • morálkathe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Danish moral
  • moralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Dutch moreel
  • moreelthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Finnish moraali
  • moraalithe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
French moral
  • moralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
German Moral
  • Moralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Greek ηθικό, φρόνημα
  • ηθικό (ithikó)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • φρόνημα (frónima)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Hebrew מוֹרָל, רוח קרב
  • מוֹרָל (morál)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • רוח קרב (rúakh krav)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Hindi मनोबल, जोश
  • मनोबल (manobal)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • जोश (joś)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • हौसला (hauslā)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Indonesian korsa, daya juang
  • korsathe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • daya juangthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • moralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Irish meanma, misneach
  • meanmathe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • misneachthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • spridthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Italian morale
  • moralethe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Japanese 士気
  • 士気 (shiki)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Korean 사기
  • 사기 (sagi)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Latin animus
  • animusthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Persian روحیه
  • روحیه (ruhiyye)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Polish morale
  • moralethe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Portuguese ânimo, disposição
  • ânimothe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • disposiçãothe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • moralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Russian дух, боево́й дух
  • дух (dux)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • боево́й дух (bojevój dux)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • настро́й (nastrój)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • мора́льное состоя́ние (morálʹnoje sostojánije)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • мора́льный дух (morálʹnyj dux)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Scottish Gaelic meanmna, misneachd
  • meanmnathe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • misneachdthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • spioradthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • smiorthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Slovak morálka
  • morálkathe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Spanish ánimo, disposición
  • ánimothe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • disposiciónthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Swedish -moral, stridsmoral
  • -moralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • stridsmoralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • arbetsmoralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Tagalog katatagang-loob
  • katatagang-loobthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Turkish moral
  • moralthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Ukrainian дух, мора́льний дух
  • дух (dux)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • мора́льний дух (morálʹnyj dux)the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Vietnamese tinh thần
  • tinh thầnthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
Welsh morâl
  • morâlthe capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with morale

shallalmallcalvalpalcanallocalehalgalrationalepascalmalsalLasallecorralchaparralchoralehalalchalbanalBaikalCattrallrale
All rhymes →

Anagrams

MeloraMerolaLamore
Cite this entry
APA

morale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morale

MLA

“morale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morale. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “morale,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morale.

Source: morale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.