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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

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 • Apr. 2, 2024

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

A museum curator and artist with an affinity for opera, Patrick stands in contrast to the character of Tom, a simple-minded moralist torn between his sexual impulses and his regressive social views.

From Washington Post • Oct. 19, 2022

To prove that the immoral action is a miscalculation of self-interest, to show how erroneous an estimate the vicious man makes of pains and pleasures, is the purpose of the intelligent moralist.

From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 1 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole