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
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The angst over his exclusion is based on the false premise that the Hall of Fame still possesses the moral authority to judge him.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Mothers and Sons, by Adam Haslett, which speaks beautifully on meditation, moral authority, and genuine listening.
—Megha Majumdar, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
She was originally trained in Straussian scholarship—a reading of classical political thought that criticizes the modern turn away from the sources of moral authority toward liberalism and, in Strauss’s view, nihilism.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2025
Moreover, the current crop of party elders does not carry the moral authority that the first generation of elders earned from fighting in the communist revolution.
—Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moral authority
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Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025
Mothers and Sons, by Adam Haslett, which speaks beautifully on meditation, moral authority, and genuine listening.
—Megha Majumdar, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
She was originally trained in Straussian scholarship—a reading of classical political thought that criticizes the modern turn away from the sources of moral authority toward liberalism and, in Strauss’s view, nihilism.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2025
Moreover, the current crop of party elders does not carry the moral authority that the first generation of elders earned from fighting in the communist revolution.
—Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 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 16 Dec. 2025.
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