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

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

His most “persistent hater,” the pompous moralist Cato the Censor, railed at Scipio’s unseemly pride and alleged corruption.

From The Wall Street Journal

One need not be a moralist to harbor concerns about the effect of legalized betting on the integrity of college and professional sports.

From Los Angeles Times

Generations have passed since preachers called television the devil’s box, and now we all know that in the ’80s, some of those moralists will make millions putting their own act on the air.

From Los Angeles Times

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