moralist

[ mawr-uh-list, mor- ]

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.

moralist

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˌmoralˈistic, adjective
• ˌmoralˈistically, adverb

Other Words From

• mor·al·is·tic [mawr-, uh, -, lis, -tik, mor-], adjective
• an·ti·mor·al·ist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of moralist¹

First recorded in 1615–25; moral + -ist

Example Sentences

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

But once four-wheeled cubicles of sin began freeing couples from the scrutiny of the family front parlor, the moralists and divines queued up to denounce the automobile’s libertine liberties.

From Los Angeles Times

A self-described “besotted aesthete” and “obsessed moralist,” she sought to challenge conventional thinking.

From Los Angeles Times