moralist

American  

[mawr-uh-list, mor-] / ˈmɔr ə lɪst, ˈmɒr- /

noun

1. a person who teaches or inculcates morality.

2. a philosopher concerned with the principles of morality.

3. a person who practices morality.

4. a person concerned with regulating the morals of others, as by imposing censorship.

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moralist British  

/ ˈmɒrəlɪst /

noun

1. a person who seeks to regulate the morals of others or to imbue others with a sense of morality

2. a person who lives in accordance with moral principles

3. a philosopher who is concerned with casuistic discussions of right action, or who seeks a general characterization of right action, often contrasted with a moral philosopher whose concern is with general philosophical questions about ethics

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Other Word Forms

• antimoralist noun
• moralistic adjective
• moralistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of moralist

First recorded in 1615–25; moral + -ist

Explanation

A moralist is someone who has very strong opinions about what is right and what is wrong. Most moralists are offended when other people don't share their values. Morals — personal beliefs about what is good or acceptable behavior — are extremely important to a moralist. In fact, moralists tend to feel so strongly about their own rules that they expect others to follow them precisely. The earliest meaning of moralist was simply "moral person," although it came to mean "person who moralizes," or makes authoritative comments on moral issues, often with a sense of superiority. The Latin root word, moralis, means "pertaining to morals."

Example Sentences

He was a nature-loving conservationist and an unrepentant big-game hunter, a Victorian moralist who betrayed his own party and skirted the law when it suited his purposes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

That law was spearheaded by Anthony Comstock, a Christian moralist activist and head of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice.

From Scientific American • Apr. 28, 2023

“I was a hair-splitting moralist, judgmental and proud,” he admits.

From Washington Post • Nov. 29, 2022

But thankfully, we’re in the hands of a sensitive, nonjudgmental filmmaker in Alli Haapasalo, who’d rather spark our empathy observing almost-womanhood’s joys and sorrows than be one more moralist with raised eyebrows and ready lessons.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2022

How I hate the moralist who croaks over time wasted in sleep.

From Health, Happiness, and Longevity Health without medicine: happiness without money: the result, longevity by McCarty, Louis Philippe