moral sense

American  

noun

1. the ability to determine the rightness or wrongness of actions.

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Etymology

Origin of moral sense

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

But then neither is Kate; she has a good enough moral sense to pass as a hero, but the exquisite tension of “The Diplomat” is almost always between the lesser of two evils.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

Withdrawing funding for a promising experimental vaccine makes no financial or moral sense.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2025

Wilson believed that people had an innate moral sense, and he had great faith in their judgment.

From Slate • Aug. 7, 2024

A member of Franklin Roosevelt’s cabinet said that one court decision should “outrage the moral sense of the country.”

From New York Times • May 22, 2023

We would not defend ourselves in a legal sense so much as in a moral sense.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela