moralist

[ mawr-uh-list, mor- ]

/ ˈmɔr ə lɪst, ˈmɒr- /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of moralist

First recorded in 1615–25; moral + -ist

OTHER WORDS FROM moralist

mor·al·is·tic, adjectivemor·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·mor·al·ist, noun, adjectivean·ti·mor·al·is·tic, adjective

o·ver·mor·al·is·tic, adjectivepseu·do·mor·al·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-mor·al·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-mor·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·mor·al·is·tic, adjectiveun·mor·al·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use moralist in a sentence

This moralistic regime demonized gays while it hid true monsters.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero|Clive Irving|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much of the series was turned over to moralistic preaching about the evils of premarital sex.
‘7th Heaven’ Dad Stephen Collins and the Christian Right’s Real Morality Tale|Amanda Marcotte|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What Webb offers is a sobering, moralistic way of looking at the world.
Wait a Minute, Clinton Coronators—Here Comes Jim Webb|Eleanor Clift|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This anti-moralistic political drama is a morality play on the value of political thought, and the importance of doing it well.
Daenerys Goes to Washington: The Modern Politics of ‘Game of Thrones’|Jedediah Purdy|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So, why is it, then that are there so few movies lately that are not jaded, tawdry, humorlessly moralistic, or amorally violent?
Whatever Happened to Great Holiday Films?|Liesl Schillinger|December 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Carlyle remained a Puritan, without any dogmatic beliefs except a kind of moralistic pantheism.
The Victorian Age|William Ralph Inge
It is tragic that some would-be Christians, like Mrs. Strait, become so moralistic that they condemn rather than help people.
Herein is Love|Reuel L. Howe
How tight-shut, how moralistic, how overbearing these intellectuals with a mission!
Soliloquies in England|George Santayana
The latter then loses its peculiar flavor of the didactic and pedantic; its ultra-moralistic and hortatory tone.
Reconstruction in Philosophy|John Dewey
That is the reason why Mrs. Strait holds to the moralistic concept of the Christian life.
Herein is Love|Reuel L. Howe

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, adjectivemoralistically, 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