as in puritanism
a tendency to care a great deal about seemly behavior and morals especially in sexual matters
the moralism that the candidate displays on the campaign trail is seen by some as hypocritical
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Recent Examples of moralism
The phone consensus is bipartisan, appealing to right-wing moralism and left-wing anti-corporate sentiment alike.
—
Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
In sport as in war and education, there was a moralism and fundamental masculinity associated with the band ensemble.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
Trend forecasters were proclaiming that Trump’s reelection represented a cultural shake-up in addition to a governmental one, replacing the stiff moralism of wokeness with cowboy rowdiness and chic nihilism.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025
The Return of the Global South Realism, not moralism, drives a new critique of western power.
—Kal Raustiala, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for moralism
Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
In sport as in war and education, there was a moralism and fundamental masculinity associated with the band ensemble.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Apr. 2025
Trend forecasters were proclaiming that Trump’s reelection represented a cultural shake-up in addition to a governmental one, replacing the stiff moralism of wokeness with cowboy rowdiness and chic nihilism.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2025
The Return of the Global South Realism, not moralism, drives a new critique of western power.
—Kal Raustiala, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for moralism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moralism
puritanism
Noun
-
Inevitably, puritanism is going to come out and come back and go away.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 2024
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He in turn was denounced for what many thought was an old-fashioned puritanism and what many also thought was jealousy — the production was directed by his successor at Yale, Lloyd Richards.—
Bruce Weber,
New York Times,
29 Oct. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Moralism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralism. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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