moralistic

M3O1R1A1L1I1S1T1I1C3

adjective

Characteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern with the morals of others; self-righteous

“She was glad to escape her judgmental and moralistic parents.”

Similar
moral
OriginEnglish moral ← Middle English moral ← Old French mora →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

adjectivemoralistic (comparative more moralistic, superlative most moralistic)

comparative more moralistic · superlative most moralistic

  1. Characteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern with the morals of others; self-righteous

    She was glad to escape her judgmental and moralistic parents.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivenarrowly and conventionally moral

Similar
moral
Also see
moral

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*med-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*meh₁-
  3. Proto-Italic*mōs
  4. Latinmōs
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  7. Latinmōrālis
  8. Old Frenchmora
  9. Middle Englishmoral
  10. Englishmoral
  11. Englishmoralistic

From moral + -istic.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan moralista
  • moralistaCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Czech moralistický
  • moralistickýCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Finnish moralistinen
  • moralistinenCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
French moraliste
  • moralisteCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
German moralistisch
  • moralistischCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Greek ηθικιστικός
  • ηθικιστικός (ithikistikós)Characteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Italian moralista
  • moralistaCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Polish moralistyczny
  • moralistycznyCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Portuguese moralista
  • moralistaCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Spanish moralista
  • moralistaCharacteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others
Cite this entry
APA

moralistic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moralistic

MLA

“moralistic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moralistic. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moralistic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moralistic.

Source: moralistic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.