Definition

Noun: 1. A set of ethical principles or standards of behavior: A coherent collection of beliefs about what is important, right, and wrong that guides an individual's or group's decisions and judgments. 2. A moral code or framework: The organized structure of values that forms the basis for a person's or society's ethical reasoning and conduct.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Her value-system, shaped by her upbringing, emphasizes honesty and hard work above all else.
  • The company's corporate value-system explicitly prohibits discrimination.
  • Different cultures can have very different value-systems regarding family and community.

Advanced Usage

• "To be guided by a value-system": To make decisions based on a consistent set of moral principles.
  • A good judge is guided by a strong value-system and the rule of law.
• "A clash of value-systems": A conflict arising from fundamentally different ethical beliefs.
  • The negotiation stalled due to a fundamental clash of value-systems between the two parties.

Variants and Related Words

• Value (n): The importance, worth, or usefulness of something; a person's principles or standards of behavior.
  • Core values like integrity are non-negotiable.
• Ethics (n): Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. (Often used interchangeably with "value-system," though "ethics" can imply a more formal or philosophical study.)
• Moral code (n): A set of rules or principles defining right and wrong conduct.

Synonyms

• Ethics
• Moral principles
• Code of ethics
• Moral framework
• Belief system (when focused on ethical beliefs)

Related Phrases

• System of values: A phrase identical in meaning to "value-system."
  • He operates according to a well-defined system of values.

Related Idioms

• A question of values: A situation where the core issue is a conflict over fundamental principles.
  • Whether to prioritize profit or employee welfare is often a question of values.

Noun

1. the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group
   • the Puritan ethic
   • a person with old-fashioned values