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

Among them was the revival of medieval doctrines of just war, which subordinated contractual obligations to unilateral claims of moral authority—doctrines that resurfaced during the war on terror to justify pre-emptive attacks and torture. — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Specifically, the soft power of the movement for equality—its moral authority—was rapidly being converted into hard power. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026

American support for Israel’s assault on Gaza, particularly under President Joe Biden, swept away any residual moral authority the United States could claim. — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Julian Epstein wrote Democrats have lost their moral authority by nominating El-Sayed. — NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for moral authority

• exteriority
• inferiority
• superiority
• majority
• minority
• priority
• seniority
• sonority
• sorority