moral compass

American  

[mawr-uhl kuhm-puhs, mor‐] / ˈmɔr əl ˈkʌm pəs, ˈmɒr‐ /

noun

1. an internalized set of values and objectives that guide a person with regard to ethical behavior and decision-making.

   a rebellious teenager without a moral compass.

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Etymology

Origin of moral compass

First recorded in 1840–45

Example Sentences

“The public narrative that has emerged could not be further from the woman I know,” wrote one friend, who described Sangha as having a strong moral compass.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Judge John Dodd KC told Wood Green Crown Court that Chan was a "perverse and depraved" man who had "clearly lost all sense of moral compass".

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

And the more one relies on vice signaling as a style of action and communication, the less relevant and powerful the in-group’s moral compass is as a practical constraint on anyone’s behavior.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2026

First of all, I wish some of my previous landlords had your moral compass.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025

Hence, a man's opinion may be for him invaluable, the needle of his moral compass, always pointing to the truth whence it issued, and whose form it is.

From A Dish of Orts : Chiefly Papers on the Imagination, and on Shakespeare by MacDonald, George