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
Richardson-Sellers stars as ambitious and morally ambiguous Talamasca agent Olive, a master of disguise and handler to new recruit Guy (Nicholas Denton).
—
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
After recruiting Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), a highly successful and morally flexible Florida lawyer with a 100 percent success rate, Milton offers him temptation after temptation — then sits back and lets the process play out, only rarely getting his hands dirty himself.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
In the final stretch of New York City’s mayoral race, the attacks against Zohran Mamdani have crossed a line—not just politically, but morally.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Unlike a movie, show, or song, reading a novel from cover to cover demands time and sustained attention to stay engaged throughout the slowest chapters and extend empathy to flawed, morally gray protagonists.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 22 Oct. 2025
Since Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012, Chinese stories have increasingly included nods to Chinese nationalist (not just communist) soldiers fighting bravely, thus placing a strong, victorious, and morally righteous China at the forefront of the postwar global order.
—Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
At its peak, Battlefield 6’s story mode operates on the same wavelength as late-2000s military shooters, where morally gray acts of war are a dime a dozen, punctuated by the shock value of domestic threats played out with an immersive POV.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
That would be John Ryan, the racist and otherwise morally corrupt LAPD officer in Paul Haggis’ Best Picture winner Crash.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Shenderovich noted that, for the health of a polity, its norms—what’s considered morally permissible—can often matter more than the laws that formally govern it.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
After recruiting Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), a highly successful and morally flexible Florida lawyer with a 100 percent success rate, Milton offers him temptation after temptation — then sits back and lets the process play out, only rarely getting his hands dirty himself.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
In the final stretch of New York City’s mayoral race, the attacks against Zohran Mamdani have crossed a line—not just politically, but morally.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Unlike a movie, show, or song, reading a novel from cover to cover demands time and sustained attention to stay engaged throughout the slowest chapters and extend empathy to flawed, morally gray protagonists.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 22 Oct. 2025
Since Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012, Chinese stories have increasingly included nods to Chinese nationalist (not just communist) soldiers fighting bravely, thus placing a strong, victorious, and morally righteous China at the forefront of the postwar global order.
—Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
At its peak, Battlefield 6’s story mode operates on the same wavelength as late-2000s military shooters, where morally gray acts of war are a dime a dozen, punctuated by the shock value of domestic threats played out with an immersive POV.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
That would be John Ryan, the racist and otherwise morally corrupt LAPD officer in Paul Haggis’ Best Picture winner Crash.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Shenderovich noted that, for the health of a polity, its norms—what’s considered morally permissible—can often matter more than the laws that formally govern it.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morally
Adverb
-
His friend had innocently landed on that scene.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
-
In a thriller, the suspense is built around a challenge posed to the protagonist — the last big score before retiring, being innocently accused of a crime or accidentally getting involved in something dangerous and deadly.—
Anders de la Motte,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
The United States Supreme Court this week is considering the crucial constitutional argument of whether the president has the power to levy tariffs on foreign goods, or whether any such taxes on American consumers and businesses are purely in the purview of the Congress.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
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Here, however, Makowsky examines a purely ignoble figure who feels entitled without accomplishing a thing.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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Additionally, the lawsuit alleges Sheriff’s deputies failed to properly search and screen for contraband in the jail, and failed to observe and supervise inmates.—
Emma Hall,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
-
In fact, doing it properly is an art form of sorts, with layering requiring the right mix of textures, metals, and ring thicknesses to build out a covetable final look that doesn’t feel burdensome on your finger.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
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
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Conservatives are right to mourn his death and to be righteously angry.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Morally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morally. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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