moral compass

noun

plural moral compasses

: a set of beliefs or values that help guide ethical decisions, judgments, and behavior : an internal sense of right and wrong

Mr. Mandela was unique. How often in a generation does a giant walk among us, with brilliance and courage, guided by an immaculate moral compass?

—Tayari Jones

There are common causes for lapses in ethical judgment that can include ego, power, greed, fear, compulsion, embarrassment, rationalization, or basic lack of a moral compass.

—Kevin Woodhouse

Women who work hard to make businesses and communities better and help set our moral compasses with their actions are my heroes.

—Edie Boan

also : someone or something that serves as a standard for guiding moral choices, judgments, or behavior

Here was the lead character, the show's moral compass, played by its best-known actor—and this is what happens to him?

—Kristi Turnquist

In his role as manager of Changes Group Home in New London, Henderson serves as a moral compass for young men who need direction.

—Tim Frogerg

Examples of moral compass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lincoln's life and death had a lasting impact on the future president, historians Douglas Brinkley and Harold Holzer wrote in an exclusive piece for USA TODAY, tracing how a portrait of Lincoln later became Roosevelt's moral compass. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 29 May 2026

The moral compass must remain firmly in human hands. —Tatevik Simonyan, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

The close-up nature of these calls ensures that the relationship between Gianina and her daughter — who’s increasingly upset by her mother’s absence — becomes a moral compass of sorts. —Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 16 May 2026

His transformative relationship with the strong women around him is interwoven with his journey as a Muay Thai fighter grappling with his craft’s meaning and his own moral compass after a devastating breakdown. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for moral compass

• encompass
• rumpus

Kids Definition

moral compass

noun

: a set of beliefs or values that help guide ethical decisions, judgments, and behavior : an internal sense of right and wrong