What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Moral vs Reek - What's the difference?

moral | reek |

As nouns the difference between moral and reek

is that moral is (of a narrative) the ethical significance or practical lesson while reek is a strong unpleasant smell or reek can be (ireland) a hill; a mountain.

As a adjective moral

is of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially for teaching right behaviour.

As a verb reek is

(archaic|intransitive) to be emitted or exhaled, emanate, as of vapour or perfume.

moral

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially for teaching right behaviour.
  • * Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • She had wandered without rule or guidance in a moral wilderness.
  • Conforming to a standard of right behaviour; sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment.
  • * Sir M. Hale
  • the wiser and more moral part of mankind
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=The stories did not seem to me to touch life. They were plainly intended to have a bracing moral effect, and perhaps had this result for the people at whom they were aimed. They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.}}
  • Capable of right and wrong action.
  • Probable but not proved.
  • Positively affecting the mind, confidence, or will.
  • Synonyms

    * (conforming to a standard of right behaviour) ethical, incorruptible, noble, righteous, virtuous * (probable but not proved) virtual

    Antonyms

    * immoral, amoral, non-moral, unmoral

    Derived terms

    * moral compass * moral high ground * moral minimum

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (of a narrative) The ethical significance or practical lesson.
  • The moral of the (The Boy Who Cried Wolf) is that if you repeatedly lie, people won't believe you when you tell the truth.
  • * Macaulay
  • We protest against the principle that the world of pure comedy is one into which no moral enters.
  • Moral practices or teachings: modes of conduct.
  • (obsolete) A morality play.
  • Synonyms

    * (moral practices or teachings) ethics, mores

    Hyponyms

    * golden rule

    Anagrams

    * ----

    reek

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) rek, ‘smoke, fog’, Albanian regj ‘to tan’).Vladimir Orel, A Handbook of Germanic Etymology , s.vv. “*raukiz”, “*reukanan”(Leiden: Brill, 2003), 299:303.

    Noun

    (-)
  • A strong unpleasant smell.
  • Vapor; steam; smoke; fume.
  • * Shakespeare
  • As hateful to me as the reek of a limekiln.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) reken ‘to smoke’, from (etyl) . See above.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (archaic) To be emitted or exhaled, emanate, as of vapour or perfume.
  • To have or give off a strong, unpleasant smell.
  • You reek of perfume.
    Your fridge reeks of egg.
  • (figuratively) To be evidently associated with something unpleasant.
  • The boss appointing his nephew as a director reeks of nepotism.

    Etymology 3

    Probably a transferred use (after Irish cruach stack (of corn), pile, mountain, hill) of a variant of rick (with which it is cognate).

    Noun

    (s)
  • (Ireland) A hill; a mountain.
  • References

    * * * * * Notes:

    Anagrams

    * ----