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
Students must be trained to confront the fundamental questions of human existence, to think ethically, to act morally and to love humanity boldly.
—
MSNBC Newsweek, 22 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
Other comedians have pointed to the inconsistency of balking at performing in Saudi Arabia when other governments around the world also sponsor morally unjustifiable actions.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 26 Sep. 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
But Rieff also invokes sickness in another sense, denoting that which is morally repugnant.
—Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
MSNBC Newsweek, 22 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
Other comedians have pointed to the inconsistency of balking at performing in Saudi Arabia when other governments around the world also sponsor morally unjustifiable actions.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 26 Sep. 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
But Rieff also invokes sickness in another sense, denoting that which is morally repugnant.
—Literary Hub, 22 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
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The key question now is whether these shows of force are purely symbolic or if the next strike, flight, or covert action could trigger a direct confrontation between the two countries.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
And, just in time for Halloween, The Twisted Spine, New York’s first bookstore dedicated purely to horror, has opened its doors in Williamsburg.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Standard waste practices such as landfilling, mechanical recycling, and incineration fail to manage plastic properly and often generate secondary pollution.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Oct. 2025
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In order to properly tell its decades-spanning mystery, Origins and NCIS will be switching their respective time slots for the evening.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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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
-
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 29 Oct. 2025.
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