moralist

[ mawr-uh-list, mor- ]

See synonyms for: moralistic on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who teaches or inculcates morality.
a philosopher concerned with the principles of morality.

a person who practices morality.
a person concerned with regulating the morals of others, as by imposing censorship.

Origin of moralist

First recorded in 1615–25; moral + -ist

Other words from moralist

mor·al·is·tic [mawr-uh-lis-tik, mor-], /ˌmɔr əˈlɪs tɪk, ˌmɒr-/, adjective
an·ti·mor·al·ist, noun, adjective

Words Nearby moralist

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

How to use moralist in a sentence

Nixon-the-pragmatist appointed drug rehabilitation experts, not anti-drug moralists, to lead his fight.
The War on Drugs turns 50 today. It’s time to make peace. | David Farber | June 17, 2021 | Washington Post
Between a secular moralist and an ideologue, there is a softer, more human middle that Soyinka occupies.
Nigeria’s Larger-Than-Life Nobel Laureate Chronicles a Fascinating Life | Chimamanda Adichie | August 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It took the September 11 attacks for someone—Bush was always a closet moralist—to step forward.
U.N. Ambassador Designate Samantha Power’s Greatest Journalistic Hits | Caitlin Dickson | June 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
On Monday, Crist tried to play the moralist, saying, “When people lie and steal, there is a price to pay.”
Sleaze and Scandal in the Sunshine State GOP | John Avlon | February 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Just as in their politics, when it comes to process, Romney versus Santorum is a fight between the technocrat and the moralist.
The Technocrat and the Moralist Square Off | Election Oracle | March 12, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

Those who live by junk journalism, the moralist in me proclaims, shall die by junk journalism.
How British Tabloids Lost Their Way | Howard Jacobson | July 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The critical moralist pauses before the formidable array of the entire social world, civilized and savage.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
He was not a dialectician, but a moralist, and as such takes the highest ground of all the old inquirers after truth.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
Surely the most strict moralist would confess, that I was released from my engagements!
Papers from Overlook-House | Casper Almore
But he was always essentially a moralist, whose business 255 was to find a practical, popular, effective rule of conduct.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton King
Here the unfortunate Savage has held his intellectual "noctes" and enlivened the old moralist with his mad philosophy.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, No. 366 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for moralist

moralist

/ (ˈmɒrəlɪst) /

noun

a person who seeks to regulate the morals of others or to imbue others with a sense of morality
a person who lives in accordance with moral principles

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

Derived forms of moralist

moralistic, adjective
moralistically, adverb

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

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