Immorality

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Immorality \Im`mo*ral"i*ty\, n.; pl. {Immoralities}. [Cf. F.
     immoralit['e].]
     1. The state or quality of being immoral; vice.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The root of all immorality.           --Sir W.


                                                    Temple.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. An immoral act or practice.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Luxury and sloth and then a great drove of heresies
              and immoralities broke loose among them. --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  immorality
       n 1: the quality of not being in accord with standards of right
            or good conduct; "the immorality of basing the defense
            of the West on the threat of mutual assured destruction"
            [ant: {morality}]
       2: morally objectionable behavior [syn: {evil}, {wickedness}, {iniquity}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  29 Moby Thesaurus words for "immorality":
     amorality, backsliding, carnality, corruption, criminality,
     delinquency, depravity, evil, evil nature, impurity,
     moral delinquency, peccability, prodigality, recidivism,
     unangelicalness, unchastity, uncleanness, ungodliness, ungoodness,
     unmorality, unrighteousness, unsaintliness, unvirtuousness, vice,
     viciousness, wantonness, waywardness, wickedness, wrongdoing
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  IMMORALITY. that which is contra bonos mores. In England, it is not 
  punishable in some cases, at the common law, on, account of the 
  ecclesiastical jurisdictions: e. g. adultery. But except in cases belonging 
  to the ecclesiastical courts, the court of king's bench is the custom morum, 
  and may punish delicto contra bonos mores. 3 Burr. Rep. 1438; 1 Bl. Rep. 94; 
  2 Strange, 788. In Pennsylvania, and most, if not all the United States, all 
  such cases come under one and the same jurisdiction. 
       2. Immoral contracts are generally void; an agreement in consideration 
  of future illicit cohabitation between the parties; 3 Burr. 1568; S. C. 1 
  Bl. Rep. 517; 1 Esp. R. 13; 1 B. & P. 340, 341; an agreement for the value 
  of libelous and immoral pictures, 4 Esp. R. 97; or for printing a libel, 2 
  Stark. R. 107; or for an immoral wager, Chit. Contr. 156, cannot, therefore, 
  be enforced. For whatever arises from an immoral or illegal consideration, 
  is void: quid turpi ex causa promissum est non valet. Inst. 3, 20, 24. 
       3. It is a general rule, that whenever an agreement appears to be 
  illegal, immoral, or against public policy, a court of justice leaves the 
  parties where it finds them; when the agreement has been executed, the court 
  will not rescind it; when executory, the count will not help the execution. 
  4 Ohio R. 419; 4 John. R. 419; 11 John. R. 388; 12 John. R. 306; 19 John. R. 
  341; 3 Cowen's R. 213; 2 Wils. R. 341.