Etymology
Origin of morally
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Frances Perkins, Franklin Roosevelt’s Labor secretary, recalled having to clean up the agency — not just morally and ethically, but with broom and bucket, when she took over from William Nuckles Doak, Herbert Hoover’s appointee.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Thoreau believed slavery was morally reprehensible, and refused to pay a poll tax supporting the government that allowed it.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
The Army itself advises soldiers to “maintain the high ground,” and research shows that rapid-fire calls made under pressure by the morally immature lead to disaster.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
A nation may resort to war only as the result of a dilemma where the only solutions are morally suspect.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
I say that it was morally wrong if it was secretly given and secretly handled.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
