moral authority
noun
: trustworthiness to make decisions that are right and good
The scandal has undermined the government's moral authority.
Examples of moral authority in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Others wrung riches from the network; Berners-Lee assumed the mantle of moral authority, fighting to safeguard the web’s openness and promote equitable access.
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Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Today, the moral authority designed to flow from the UN’s service to humanity is in danger of being lost to the abuse of veto power, bureaucratic drift, withdrawal, aid cuts and political compromise.
—David Miliband, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
But when two states with different biases and worldviews collide—one enamored with a vision of its exceptionalism and another clinging to its identity as moral authority—pragmatism is in order.
—Michelle Gavin, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2025
What once was a demand for repair has become a permanent identity, a status that claims moral authority and power.
—Jonathan Alpert, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moral authority
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Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Today, the moral authority designed to flow from the UN’s service to humanity is in danger of being lost to the abuse of veto power, bureaucratic drift, withdrawal, aid cuts and political compromise.
—David Miliband, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
But when two states with different biases and worldviews collide—one enamored with a vision of its exceptionalism and another clinging to its identity as moral authority—pragmatism is in order.
—Michelle Gavin, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2025
What once was a demand for repair has become a permanent identity, a status that claims moral authority and power.
—Jonathan Alpert, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moral authority
Cite this Entry
“Moral authority.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moral%20authority. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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