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Glite Dictionary
🌟 Making more moral 🗣️ Expressing moral views
moralization

moralization

7.8
Saying people's actions are right or wrong in a preachy way
  • noun
  • /ˌmɔːrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
translation icon : moralización
  • Critics argued that the film's moralization distracted from its entertaining plot.

Examples

  • The endless moralization of their lifestyle decisions often made conversations uncomfortable.

  • Thus, what might have been a stimulus to question police (state) power was deflected into the far more comfortable pleasures of idle moralization and pop sociology.

    Blog text (27)

  • Again, this is the sort of moralization of the working classes.

  • Mostly what I get is a lot of moralization about how someone else is evil, or how "we" are evil, which usually amounts to the same thing, the 'we' being a cheap rhetorical mask.

    Blog text (27)

  • We've lost the church's moralization, or at least it sounds like we've lost the church's moralization of the act of love.

  • Her speech was filled with moralization that overshadowed the real issues at hand.

Synonyms

preaching
vsmoralization
  • Informal
11 4.6

Giving moral advice in a way that feels bossy or unwanted

is more about expressing judgments and codes rather than giving advice
moralizing
vsmoralization
4 7.6

Talking to people about right and wrong in a judging way

is about stating a broad ethical code publicly rather than simple judgment
sanctimony
vsmoralization
3 9.9

Pretending to be morally better than others

is about expressing judgments or codes publicly, not just displaying attitude
moralism
vsmoralization
2 8.1

Making strict judgments about right and wrong while acting as if they are better than others

is the act of expressing judgments or expounding codes, not just imposing them
preachification
vsmoralization
  • Informal
9.9

To talk in a long, annoying way about right and wrong

is the act of expounding ethical rules without depth rather than brief judgment

How Moralizing

preaching
  • Informal
11 4.6
moralization
7.8
sermon
137 2.8
comment
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

moralization singular
moralizations plural

Morphology

moralization = moralize (semi-transparent) = moral + ize + ation

Formation is morphologically regular, but the sense 'expressing moral judgments in a preachy or superficial way' adds attitudinal nuance not strictly predictable from the base.

Etymology

Moralization comes from moral plus the ending -ize 'to make' and -ation 'the act of'. A helpful way to remember the second sense is to think of turning a talk or story into a lesson about right and wrong, which is why moralization can mean giving moral judgments in a preachy way.