as in moralizing
marked by or given to preaching moral values
parental opinion was divided on the school's moralistic curriculum
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Recent Examples of moralistic
To rebuild a consensus, politicians must thus appeal to these swing voters by eschewing moralistic and globalist rhetoric.
—
Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Taken together, these triumphal and tragic elements constitute the ingredients for an epic historical narrative that defies all moralistic categories, a story rooted in the coexistence of grandeur and failure, brilliance and blindness, grace and sin.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Initially, bedtime stories tended to be moralistic tales designed to reinforce obedience and proper behavior.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The heroine of Mansfield Park, Fanny Price, is the most moralistic young person in her household (and the most ignored).
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moralistic
Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Taken together, these triumphal and tragic elements constitute the ingredients for an epic historical narrative that defies all moralistic categories, a story rooted in the coexistence of grandeur and failure, brilliance and blindness, grace and sin.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Initially, bedtime stories tended to be moralistic tales designed to reinforce obedience and proper behavior.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The heroine of Mansfield Park, Fanny Price, is the most moralistic young person in her household (and the most ignored).
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moralistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moralistic
didactic
Adjective
-
Season 2 features a laughably didactic arc in which a family earns too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to pay their bill.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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And the violent scenes aren’t grotesque or didactic — think of Miles’ muted trumpet sound reconfigured as resurrection visuals, of his ability to play and stage ballads so well that their uptempo momentum moves into territories too macabre to mute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moralistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralistic. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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