Search the Dictionary

In a moral or ethical sense; according to the rules of morality. By good, good morally so called, "bonum honestum" ought chiefly to be understood. South.

In an immoral manner; wickedly.

Improvement or progression, physically, mentally, morally, or socially; as, an advance in health, knowledge, or religion; an advance in rank or office.

To attack morally, or with a view to produce changes in the feelings, character, conduct, existing usages, institutions; to attack by words, hostile influence, etc.; as, to assail one with appeals, arguments, abuse, ridicule, and the like. The papal authority . . . assailed. Hallam. They assailed him with keen invectiv…

urtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; -- the opposite of good; as a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad health; bad crop; bad news.

To keep steady; to steady, morally. 'T is charity must ballast the heart. Hammond.

Morally low. Hence: Low-minded; unworthy; without dignity of sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial; as, a base fellow; base motives; base occupations. "A cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind." Robynson (More's Utopia). "Base ingratitude." Milton.

To improve the condition of, morally, physically, financially, socially, or otherwise. The constant effort of every man to better himself. Macaulay.

Hence: Morally distorted; not upright. [Poetic] I may be straight, though they themselves be bevel. Shak. A bevel angle, any angle other than one of 90º. -- Bevel wheel, a cogwheel whose working face is oblique to the axis. Knight.

Having a wicked, malignant disposition; morally bad.

Affected mentally or morally as with canker; sore, envenomed; malignant; fretful; ill-natured. "A cankered grandam's will." Shak.

One who carries on a controversy; a disputant. He [Johnson] was both intellectually and morally of the stuff of which controversialists are made. Macaulay.

To be turned or changed in character or direction; to undergo a change, physically or morally. If Nebo had had the preaching that thou hast, they [the Neboites] would have converted. Latimer. A red dust which converth into worms. Sandys. The public hope And eye to thee converting. Thomson.

Capable of being corrupted, or morally vitiated; susceptible of depravation. They systematically corrupt very corruptible race. Burke. -- Cor*rupt"i*ble*ness, n. -- Cor*rupt"i*bly, adv.

The act of defiling, or state of being defiled, whether physically or morally; pollution; foulness; dirtiness; uncleanness. Defilements of the flesh. Hopkins. The chaste can not rake into such filth without danger of defilement. Addison.

To force or put out of the true posture or direction; to twist aside mentally or morally. Wrath and malice, envy and revenge, do darken and distort the understandings of men. Tillotson.

und by moral obligation to do, or refrain from doing; that which one ought to do; service morally obligatory. Forgetting his duty toward God, his sovereign lord, and his country. Hallam.

Without mixture or alloy of anything; unqualified; morally whole; pure; faithful. Pure fear and entire cowardice. Shak. No man had ever a heart more entire to the king. Clarendon.

To deviate morally from the right way; to go astray, in a figurative sense; to do wrong; to sin. Do they not err that devise evil Prov. xiv. 22.

In an eternal manner. That which is morally good or evil at any time or in any case, must be also eternally and unchangeably so. South. Where western gales eternally reside. Addison.