moralise
/'mɔrəlaiz/ Cách viết khác : (moralise) /'mɔrəlaiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (transitive):
- To improve or attempt to improve the morals of someone; to make something more moral in character.
- To interpret or explain the moral meaning or lesson of a story, event, or behavior.
Verb (intransitive):
- To speak or write about matters of right and wrong, often in a self-righteous, judgmental, or sermonizing manner.
Usage
- Transitive verb: Used when someone draws out or imposes a moral lesson.
- Intransitive verb: Used to describe the act of making moral pronouncements, typically in a tedious or pompous way.
Examples
- Transitive use:
- The fable is used to moralise the importance of honesty to children.
- He tried to moralise the historical event by focusing on its ethical implications.
- Intransitive use:
- He has a tendency to moralise about the behavior of young people.
- Instead of just listening, she always feels the need to moralise.
Advanced Usage
- "to moralise at someone": To deliver a moral lecture directly to a person, often implying an unwelcome or condescending tone.
- The manager would often moralise at his employees about punctuality.
- Used critically to describe speech perceived as overly pious, preachy, or sanctimonious.
- The article wasn't just an analysis; it was an opportunity for the author to moralise.
Variants and Related Words
- Moralize: The more common spelling, especially in American English. "Moralise" is the chiefly British spelling.
- Moraliser/Moralizer (noun): A person who moralises.
- He gained a reputation as a tiresome moraliser.
- Moralising/Moralizing (adjective or noun): Describing speech or writing that moralises, or the act itself.
- I found his moralising tone very off-putting.
Synonyms
- Preach: To advocate for moral or religious principles, especially in a persistent or annoying way.
- Sermonize: To deliver or compose a sermon; to speak in a moralizing or pompous manner.
- Pontificate: To express one's opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic.
- Lecture (verb): To deliver a long, serious speech, especially as a scolding or reprimand.
Phrasal Verbs
- Moralise about/on/upon: To talk at length about the moral aspects of a subject.
- He loves to moralise upon the decline of modern society.
Related Idioms
- To mount/ascend the moral high ground: To act or speak as if one's position is morally superior. This is the attitude often associated with someone who is moralising.
- In the debate, she quickly mounted the moral high ground and began to moralise about her opponent's policies.
Verb
- improve the morals of
- speak as if delivering a sermon; express moral judgements
- This man always sermonizes
- interpret the moral meaning of
- moralize a story