as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed
a politician who is in the habit of acting legally without behaving morally
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Recent Examples of morally
The belief that swing voters in Texas are too racist and sexist to be compromised with implies that defeat is the only morally acceptable option.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Failure is self-defined and morally neutral on these walls.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026
In the same vein as the first season, this second season and the forthcoming third installment both focus on the high-stakes, international game of cat and mouse between Hiddleston’s MI6 agent and Hugh Laurie’s morally corrupt arms dealer Richard Roper.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
The republic is already dead morally, economically, and socially.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
But the show’s standout is Sophia Lillis, whose distraught, morally inflamed Riley is the play’s most original figure.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
For those seeking more intense, morally gray relationships with taboo themes and trigger warnings, dark romance has become the go-to subgenre.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
By documenting not just his actions but showing the privilege his race, religion and background afford him in comparison to his colleagues, the film reveals the inherent inequality in whose stories get told, and who’s allowed to be angry, indignant and morally correct.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Is a man still morally guilty if his mind is empty?
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Failure is self-defined and morally neutral on these walls.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026
In the same vein as the first season, this second season and the forthcoming third installment both focus on the high-stakes, international game of cat and mouse between Hiddleston’s MI6 agent and Hugh Laurie’s morally corrupt arms dealer Richard Roper.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
The republic is already dead morally, economically, and socially.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
But the show’s standout is Sophia Lillis, whose distraught, morally inflamed Riley is the play’s most original figure.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
For those seeking more intense, morally gray relationships with taboo themes and trigger warnings, dark romance has become the go-to subgenre.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026
By documenting not just his actions but showing the privilege his race, religion and background afford him in comparison to his colleagues, the film reveals the inherent inequality in whose stories get told, and who’s allowed to be angry, indignant and morally correct.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Is a man still morally guilty if his mind is empty?
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morally
Adverb
-
The story starts innocently enough.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
What began as innocently wagering ten or twenty bucks on games escalated to putting $5,000 on long-shot parlays, day after day.—
Vanity Fair,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
This decision from the Virginia court, although made on purely procedural grounds, is likely to increase anxiety among some Maryland legislators who are nervous about adopting their own new map, which is designed to create one additional seat controlled by Democratic voters.—
Sherrilyn Ifill,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Pentagon had established a network of 24 satellites purely for defense purposes.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Softened butter is also crucial for making smooth frostings, as cold butter will not emulsify properly and will lead to clumpy results (this is true of cake batters, too).—
Molly Allen,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Evidence gathered by department investigators showed that deputies at that jail had not been properly trained to do mandatory security checks.—
Christopher Damien,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The glorious sweep of progress toward Roman civilization and prosperity means the end of an idyllic, virtuously rustic Golden Age.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Polak is a symbol of virtue where conscience reigns over fear and intimidation to refute the hateful and divisive rhetoric of people like Charile Kirk who self-righteously relished in denigrating and dehumanizing others in a most un-Christian way.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
-
This includes even the discourse of human rights that was righteously invoked against Communism and then against Muslim countries, enshrined by numerous American reports, and wielded to justify economic sanctions.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Morally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morally. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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