Values

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈvæljuːz/

Definitions

1. Beliefs or standards that shape individual choices and actions
2. Principles that outline what is deemed important and guide conduct in life
3. The ideas and beliefs that influence how a person acts and makes decisions

Etymology: "Values" is simply the plural of "value," so its history is the history of that word. The root idea is strength: the Latin verb "valēre" meant "be strong" and, by extension, "be worth," and the notion of worth is what passed into English. The word arrived in Middle English as "valew," borrowed from Old French "value," a form of the verb "valoir" (to be worth), which descended from that Latin root. The shift from physical strength to moral worth is the key to the modern sense. A thing that is strong or effective is one that is valued, so "worth" came to mean how much something counts for. The plural "values" carries that same logic outward from objects and prices to people: the principles we hold to be worth more than others, the things that tell us what matters and how to act.

Synonyms: principles, beliefs, standards, ethics, morals

Antonyms: disvalues, immorality, dishonor, corruption, wrongdoing