moral authority
Americannoun
-
moral authorities
plural
-
authority that comes from the principles of what is right and wrong rather than just from laws.
-
the quality of being considered trustworthy and influential regarding what is right and is wrong.
-
a person or institution considered trustworthy and influential regarding what is right and is wrong.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
They know that we have the capacity, the moral authority and the background to expose and uncover exactly what they're doing.
From Barron's ● May 21, 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
“Leanne” is, and that gives the moral authority to stand against that tide instead of monetizing neutrality.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2025
She was considered the moral authority of the community.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
