Standard Lemma guide

morale

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /məˈɹɑːl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, US: /məˈɹæl/
  • rhymes with -æl
  • CMU ARPABET: M ER0 AE1 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

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.
  • A morale-boosting exercise

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: esprit de corps

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: esprit de corps, team spirit

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disposition, temperament

3

noun

Meaning 3

a state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: psychological state, psychological condition, mental state, mental condition

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh1-der. Proto-Italic *mōs Latin mōs Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin mōrālislbor. French moralebor. English morale Borrowed from French morale.

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: رُوح مَعْنَوِيَّة (rūḥ maʕnawiyya) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Armenian: բարոյահոգեբանական վիճակ (baroyahogebanakan vičak) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Belarusian: дух (dux) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Belarusian: мара́льны дух (marálʹny dux) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Bulgarian: дух (duh) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Bulgarian: мора́лно състоя́ние (morálno sǎstojánie) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Bulgarian: 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 (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 (shìqì) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Chinese Mandarin: 信心 (xìnxīn) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Czech: morálka — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Danish: moral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Dutch: moreel — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Finnish: moraali — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • French: moral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Galician: ánimo — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Galician: disposición — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Galician: moral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Galician: azo — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Galician: folgo — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • German: Moral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Greek: ηθικό (ithikó) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Greek: φρόνημα (frónima) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Hebrew: מוֹרָל (morál) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Hebrew: 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 (manobal) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Hindi: जोश (joś) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Hindi: हौसला (hauslā) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Indonesian: korsa — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Indonesian: daya juang — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Indonesian: moral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Irish: meanma — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Irish: misneach — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Irish: sprid — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Italian: morale — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Japanese: 士気 (shiki) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Korean: 사기 (sagi) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Central Kurdish: ورە (wire) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Latin: animus — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Persian: روحیه (ruhiyye) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Polish: morale — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Portuguese: ânimo — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Portuguese: disposição — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Portuguese: moral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Russian: дух (dux) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Russian: боево́й дух (bojevój dux) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Russian: настро́й (nastrój) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Russian: мора́льное состоя́ние (morálʹnoje sostojánije) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Russian: мора́льный дух (morálʹnyj dux) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Sanskrit: मनोबल (manobala) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Scottish Gaelic: meanmna — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Scottish Gaelic: misneachd — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Scottish Gaelic: spiorad — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Scottish Gaelic: smior — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Shan: ႁႅင်းၸႂ် (héng tsǎue) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Slovak: morálka — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Spanish: ánimo — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Spanish: disposición — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Swedish: -moral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Swedish: stridsmoral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Swedish: arbetsmoral — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Tagalog: katatagang-loob — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Ukrainian: дух (dux) — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Ukrainian: 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 — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others
  • Welsh: morâl — the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others