moral duty
Right thing required
Moral duty is an obligation arising from ethical principles rather than law or contract.
It describes what a person ought to do based on conscience, religious teaching, or philosophical conviction: He felt a moral duty to report the fraud.
Unlike legal duties, moral duties carry no formal penalty for violation—only the weight of personal conscience or social judgment.
- oughtExpresses duty or obligation
- obligationRequired task or commitment
- imperativeUnavoidably necessary
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
principle · conscience · categorical imperative · do the right thing · deontology · mission · altruism · stewardship · ethical conduct · commitment · honor · commandment · sworn · upright · virtue · sacrifice · sacred trust · calling
- moralityimmoral, ethics, right and wrong, conscience, ethical principles
- dutiestask, obligation, responsibility, mandate, commitment
- duty
- moral sayingsdo unto others, golden rule, do the right thing, honesty is the best policy, treat others fairly
- moral valuesresponsibility, honor, integrity, loyalty, honesty
- moralsethics lessons, conscience, principles, values, ethics
moral dutymoral freedom
Power to choose rightly
liberty · personal choice · free choice · autonomy · discretion
moral dutyegoism
Doctrine of self-motivation
self-interest · selfishness · amorality · expediency · opportunism
moral dutymoral transgression
Violation of ethical standards
sin · vice · ethical violation · wrongdoing · moral corruption
duty, moral, morality, morals, dutiful, morally, immorality, moralizing, moralistic