moral obligation
28
4.9
- noun
- /ˈmɔrəl ˌɑblɪˈɡeɪʃən/
:
obligación moral
- We have a moral obligation to the children.
- duties or moral obligation
- sense of moral obligation
- accept a moral obligation
I mean, my moral obligation is to humans first.
- I mean, my moral obligation is to humans first.
- So, for instance, I think people have a moral obligation to vote for freedom of speech.
- I think this burdens the a politician with a moral obligation he can't possibly carry.
- And I don't think any CEO feels a moral obligation.
- So, dear boys and girls, men and women listening to the show, you have no moral obligation to seek success.
- These people have a moral obligation to make this work for the benefit of humankind.
- You wouldn't want to live in that world, but you can understand why people think that it might be a moral obligation.
- So this is all about duty, moral obligation, we could say.
- And if I have a moral obligation, I'll add that on top of this.
- We don't just have an abstract sense of duty, moral obligation.
Examples
-
These people have a moral obligation to make this work for the benefit of humankind.
-
Also, every citizen has a moral obligation toward fellow citizens and society at large.
Academic text (1994) -
So, for instance, I think people have a moral obligation to vote for freedom of speech.
-
I had a moral obligation to protect my family.
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But we have a moral obligation to tell the people the whole story at the very least.
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I mean, my moral obligation is to humans first.
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We scientists have a moral obligation to the public as well as to our own research.
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The American people need to understand it is not only our choice to stop these insurgents but our moral obligation.
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The schoolteacher could not afford to fail, though; she had a moral obligation to succeed.
Fiction book (1995) -
As citizens, we have a moral obligation to protect the rights of others.
Synonyms
∞
2.7
A duty to do something and answer for what you do
∞
1.0
Something you must do because of law, your job, or what is right
524
3.2
A duty you feel to do something because it is right or someone helped you
17
3.2
Feeling that you must do something or look after someone
11
3.8
A feeling that you must do what is right for others
Antonyms
How Obligatory
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is straightforwardly compositional: 'moral' specifies the type of 'obligation' as one based on ethical principles, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a duty grounded in right and wrong. This modifier+noun pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so the meaning is predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase moral obligation shows a simple picture: moral means about what is 'right and wrong' and obligation means a 'duty' you feel you must do. So a moral obligation is a duty you feel inside because something seems right, not because the law tells you to do it.