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
That same language is now treated as politically dangerous rather than morally clarifying.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
The task now — clinically, scientifically, and morally — is to ensure that the extra time gained does not resemble the fate of Tithonus.
—Gilberto Lopes, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
At and after the end of the Second World War, Italian filmmakers responded with a new freedom to the traumas of Fascism and German Occupation as well as to the crises of American intervention amid Italy’s efforts to rebuild physically, politically, and morally.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
But unlike the dark-romance trope in novels and fanfiction, which centers on taboo relationships and morally gray characters, these looks are less about shock value and more about heightened emotion.
—Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 10 Feb. 2026
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
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 move would be both economically irrational and morally obtuse.
—Ruth Jean-Marie, Time, 3 Feb. 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
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
The task now — clinically, scientifically, and morally — is to ensure that the extra time gained does not resemble the fate of Tithonus.
—Gilberto Lopes, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
At and after the end of the Second World War, Italian filmmakers responded with a new freedom to the traumas of Fascism and German Occupation as well as to the crises of American intervention amid Italy’s efforts to rebuild physically, politically, and morally.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
But unlike the dark-romance trope in novels and fanfiction, which centers on taboo relationships and morally gray characters, these looks are less about shock value and more about heightened emotion.
—Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 10 Feb. 2026
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
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 move would be both economically irrational and morally obtuse.
—Ruth Jean-Marie, Time, 3 Feb. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for morally
Adverb
-
The mistake begins innocently enough.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The story starts innocently enough.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
15 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
-
The hack works best if duvets are secured properly or layered separately to prevent shifting.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Authorities are investigating whether the device did or did not work properly.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
8 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
-
But O’Hara is best known for her role as Kate McCallister in Home Alone, the distracted, frantic, righteously determined mom to Macaulay Culkin’s precocious 8-year-old Kevin.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Morally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/morally. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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