morally

adverb

Definition of morallynext
as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed a politician who is in the habit of acting legally without behaving morally

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of morally Each season of the show has brought in one high-profile actor who plays a morally grey character under AC-12’s suspicion. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2026 In reality, though, many member states have failed to live up to these principles, and the Commonwealth has, in recent years, felt morally directionless. — Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair, 10 Nov. 2026 This is not about morally policing executives' private lives. — Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2026 This perception holds even among the young and the politically and socially progressive, who would never consciously think that such acts are morally sullying. — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026 In some versions, she’s described as a morally deplorable witch taking part in the abuse of runaway slaves who was ultimately burned for her misdeeds and buried near the cemetery. — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026 Then there were those that seemed excessive or even morally questionable. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 The royal banquet is supposed to be a celebration of Macbeth’s power, but the presence of the morally upright ghost spoils everything! — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026 Pete Hegseth wants to morally instruct America with a public execution? — George F. Will, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morally
  1. innocently
  2. purely
  3. properly
  4. chastely
  5. virtuously
  6. righteously
Adverb
  • Scottie’s pursuit of Madeleine, first as a quarry, begins innocently enough.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • His ideas align with Hinton’s, and by 2013 the two of them—along with a third partner, Fedor Fedotov’s Alex Krizhevsky—find themselves at Google, innocently pursuing their research.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of innocently
Adverb
  • Rocket Lab truly does deserve recognition as the world’s second purely commercial launch business to make a successful go at it.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 13 Nov. 2026
  • His brand would feel more real, more approachable, and less purely Hollywood.
    — Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of purely
Adverb
  • They were taken to a hospital where the child, a two-year-old girl who was properly restrained in the vehicle, died of her injuries.
    — Senior Editor, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • To address these gaps, Texas 2036 is proposing one entity take the responsibility for ensuring Texas’ childcare system is properly serving families and children.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of properly
Adverb
  • The solution is a lot of morphine and a lot of rest, both of which Cathy undertakes with Adam constantly (and chastely) by her side.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.
    — Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of chastely
Adverb
  • Some of us virtuously recycle items that will be transported across the world to smother island nations in single-use plastic bags and water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs, pet food and potato chip bags, Styrofoam meat trays, Coke bottles, Amazon mailing envelopes, and fast-food wrappers.
    — Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of virtuously
Adverb
  • Witnesses’ fumbling looks bad by comparison, and Ossoff sounds righteously angry without being rageful.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • With raping, raving misogynists in the highest offices and loudest cultural bandwidths of the world, women of all classes have cause to be righteously filled with rage, betrayal, and disappointment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
Definition of righteously

Browse Nearby Words

moralizing
morally
morals
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Cite this Entry

“Morally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morally. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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