You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 28.

Today’s word is morale, spelled m-o-r-a-l-e. The stress mark falls on the second syllable in this word. Don’t confuse it with moral.

mo‧rale /məˈrɑːl $ məˈræl/ noun [uncountable]

the level of confidence and positive feelings that people have, especially people who work together, who belong to the same team etc

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

The team is playing well and their morale is high.

The President's speech boosted the morale of the troops.

To the Kim regime, the nighttime military parades in Pyongyang, the capital, were demonstrations of power meant to boost domestic morale amid crippling economic sanctions.

— New York Times, "North Korea Unveils New Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile," 15 Jan. 2021

The crushing reality of the virus has taken a toll on staff, who have tried various ideas to keep up morale.

— Washington Post, "Inside a Florida hospital, coronavirus cases wane as strained staff brace for a fall surge," 7 Oct. 2020

When the elevator stops.

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

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