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
The United States went to war in 2001 and 2003 with a very moralistic, very crusading view of war, a very black-and-white view that there were good guys and bad guys, and America would wield the swift sword of justice.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for moralistic
Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for moralistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moralistic
Adjective
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Most of the roughly 200 episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger have the moralizing flavor of after-school specials, albeit weirdly violent ones.—
Chris Klimek,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The myth found its most enduring literary form in the Georgics (37–30 bce), a didactic poem on agriculture by the Roman poet Virgil.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
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These themes are not presented in a literal or didactic way but are embedded within the material and spatial experience.—
Olga Garcia-Mayoral,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moralistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moralistic. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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