moral hazard

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noun

Insurance. an insurance company's risk as to the insured's trustworthiness and honesty.

the risk that an individual or organization will act irresponsibly or recklessly if protected or exempt from the consequences of an action.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of moral hazard

First recorded in 1915–20

Words nearby moral hazard

moraine, moral, moral code, moral compass, morale, moral hazard, moralism, moralist, moralistic, morality, morality play

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use moral hazard in a sentence

The prospect of a bailout presents China the same kind of moral hazard that the US, for instance, faced during the banking crisis of 2008.
To bail out or not to bail out: China’s Evergrande dilemma|Samanth Subramanian|September 20, 2021|Quartz
A moral hazard arises when people no longer feel the need to make careful choices because they expect others to cover the risk for them.
The Morality Of Canceling Student Debt|LGBTQ-Editor|December 6, 2020|No Straight News
The story of fluoridation reads like a postmodern fable, and the moral is clear: a scientific discovery might seem like a boon.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Bratton might have said something that was closer to a real-world moral equivalence.
Memo to Cops: Criticisms Aren’t Attacks|Michael Tomasky|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That had to give them an enormous reservoir of moral strength and solace.
Hitler’s Hail Mary|James A. Warren|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But it remains a moral crime to vilify good cops who have made the city safe, saving thousands of lives.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For far too long, we have been coasting on a moral authority to which we long ago lost any clear title.
After Torture Report, Our Moral Authority As a Nation Is Gone|Nick Gillespie|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Everything is topsy-turvy in Europe according to our moral ideas, and they don't have what we call "men" over here.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Not suspecting her motive, he represented the hazard of putting so great an affront on the favourite of the Empress.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Such mutual distrust necessarily creates or accompanies a lack of moral courage.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
And so these features take on a kind of moral rightness before they are judged of as pleasing to the eye and as beautiful.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Once he permitted himself a digression, that he might point a moral for the benefit of his servant.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for moral hazard

moral hazard

noun

insurance a risk incurred by an insurance company with respect to the possible lack of honesty or prudence among policyholders

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012