moral authority

American  

[mawr-uhl-uh-thawr-i-tee] / ˈmɔr əl əˈθɔr ɪ ti /

noun

• moral authorities
  plural

1. authority that comes from the principles of what is right and wrong rather than just from laws.

2. the quality of being considered trustworthy and influential regarding what is right and is wrong.

3. a person or institution considered trustworthy and influential regarding what is right and is wrong.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• moral authorities
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

moral authority

"Europe's position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation."

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

“It is time for the State of California to use its legal and moral authority to inspect private detention facilities, hold bad actors accountable and close facilities with consistent, documented cases of human rights abuses.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

But in the past few decades those people have become embarrassed by the idea of moral authority, or that they should wield it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

We could still claim some moral authority as the leader of what we then referred to as the “free world,” however compromised or imperfect our actions were.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2025

She was considered the moral authority of the community.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu