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

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

From Slate • Aug. 7, 2024

“If this decision does not outrage the moral sense of the country, then nothing will,” FDR’s Interior secretary, Harold Ickes, wrote in his diary.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2024

Not in any criminal respect, but maybe in a moral sense.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2023

It can be disquieting, the competition between empathy and good moral sense.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2022

We have formed your society in a particular way in the hope that you will rediscover the moral sense most of us have lost.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth