1
: moral principles, teachings, or conduct
2
a
: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand
The team's morale is high.
b
: a sense of common purpose with respect to a group : esprit de corps
The ship's morale improved after two days of shore leave.
3
: the level of individual psychological well-being based on such factors as a sense of purpose and confidence in the future
The failure of his play did not affect his morale.

Examples of morale in a Sentence

The team is playing well and their morale is high. The President's speech boosted the morale of the troops.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Overt leaflet and loudspeaker campaigns, which the US military also used during the Gulf War and in Iraq and Afghanistan, were meant to weaken morale and instill fear (to dubious success). Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 Beyond the impact for populations the organization serves, Iyer said the promise of Daisy Chain Fields has boosted morale among NWLC staff during an extremely difficult time in America. Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 The strain took a toll on morale, but their hard work paid off. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Reuters said March and April reports of impending layoffs and Meta tracking employees’ keyboard and mouse input in order to train AI agents (Meta has since paused the program) hurt employee morale. Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for morale

Word History

Etymology

in sense 1, from French, from feminine of moral, adjective; in other senses, modification of French moral morale, from moral, adjective

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of morale was in 1752

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Morale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morale. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

: the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, spirit, or loyalty) of an individual or a group with regard to a task or goal to be accomplished

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