ethics vs morals vs morale :

ethics or morals or morale

Strictly speaking, ethics are beliefs: if you have poor ethics, you have lax standards; but your morals are your behavior: if you have poor morals, you behave badly. You can have high standards but still fail to follow them: strong ethics and weak morals. “Morale” formerly had both these meanings and you will find them attached to the word in some dictionaries, but you would be wise to avoid it in either of these senses in modern writing. By far the most common current use of “morale” is to label your state of mind, particularly how contented you are with life. A person with low morals is bad; but a person with low morale may be merely depressed.

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Definitions
  ethics
  • n  motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
  • n  the philosophical study of moral values and rules
  • n  the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group
  • n  a system of principles governing morality and acceptable conduct
  morals
  • n  motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
  • n  the significance of a story or event
  morale
  • n  a state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose
  • n  the spirit of a group that makes the members want the group to succeed
News & Articles
  ethics
  • Ethics panel: 6 can vote on Medicaid
    The Mississippi Ethics Commission reversed previous rulings Friday and said legislators who work for health care providers that treat Medicaid patients can vote on Medicaid issues.
    June 15, 2013 - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
  • Ethics Panel Clears Way for GOP Medicaid Votes
    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Ethics Commission on Friday cleared the way for six Republican state House members to vote on Medicaid issues, but the commission's ruling wasn't unanimous and one member called it "illogical."
    June 15, 2013 - Jackson Free Press
  • Ethics Commission clears GOP lawmakers to vote on Medicaid
    The Mississippi Ethics Commission has cleared the way for six Republican lawmakers to vote on Medicaid issues. The lawmakers sought ethics guidance because they have potential financial conflicts.   
    June 15, 2013 - WLOX-TV Biloxi
  morals
  morale
  • Morale in Sheriff’s Office Low, Some Deputies Leaving Over Pay
    With no pay raises in the last five years, and short-term prospects dim, morale among Franklin County deputies is at a low point and some are looking for better paying jobs elsewhere.
    June 13, 2013 - The Missourian
  • Hot Diggity Dog
    When Alice Wilhoit wanted to improve office morale with little raffles for her co-workers, she had to get permission. “Had to sort of—not really beg—but I was sort of like, ‘pleeease,’” the Department of Public Works employee of the year says in a lilting soprano. Wilhoit, who does payroll and other clerical work at the Montebello Filtration Plant off Hillen Road, has always played by the rules ...
    June 11, 2013 - Baltimore City Paper
  • Letta hopes for morale lift from weary Italian voters
    By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - Italian local elections that end on Monday could give a morale boost to Prime Minister Enrico Letta and confirm that support for the populist 5-Star Movement is waning. Despite a slump in turnout as Italians lose faith in their politicians, Letta hopes for a positive result for his center-left Democratic Party (PD), which nearly imploded after throwing away a ...
    June 10, 2013 - Reuters via Yahoo! News