moral bankruptcy
2
7.1
- noun
- /ˈmɔrəl ˈbæŋkrʌpsi/
- Offensive
:
bancarrota moral
- Her refusal to acknowledge the harm caused by her decisions showed a complete moral bankruptcy.
Obama peeled back the curtain on Trump's moral bankruptcy.
- Obama peeled back the curtain on Trump's moral bankruptcy.
Examples
-
Here are nine bits of evidence of the moral bankruptcy of Willard Mitt Romney.
Blog text (4) -
Nothing expresses a moral bankruptcy more than this statement.
Blog text (5) -
We will never recover from moral bankruptcy.
Blog text (12) -
More remarkable is that his paper's rivals did not focus on the moral bankruptcy of their competitor.
Academic text (2000) -
So this is a testament to the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the anti-reform racket.
Blog text (27) -
3) John Murray: "Nothing shows the moral bankruptcy of a people or of a generation more than disregard for the sanctity of human life."
Blog text (2) -
Campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in 1976, Ronald Reagan cited Taylor's case as an example of liberalism's moral bankruptcy.
Academic text (2006) -
The moral bankruptcy of the high command undermined its authority to deter a faction of junior officers from their planned rebellion, which began on 22 July 1922.
Academic text (1997) -
The company's actions revealed a profound moral bankruptcy that shocked its customers.
-
Many critics argue that the politician's lies highlight his moral bankruptcy in office.
Synonyms
36
4.6
A situation where people lose moral principles and act badly
2
9.3
A fall in moral and social standards showing corruption
1
5.3
A state of being morally bad because of wrong actions
1
6.2
A habit of being dishonest and breaking rules to get money or power
1
9.7
A state of being morally bad, shown by lying, stealing, or hurting others
A habit of ignoring right and wrong and being dishonest to get what you want
Antonyms
How Corrupt
- Specialized
1
9.9
- Offensive
2
7.1
- Formal
25
8.8
36
4.6
23
6.3
259
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a complete lack of moral principles' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'moral' (ethical principles) with the metaphorical sense of 'bankruptcy' (a total absence or failure). The use of 'bankruptcy' to mean lack of an abstract quality is a common, cross‑linguistic metaphor, so learners who know both constituents should readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Moral bankruptcy comes from the money idea of being bankrupt — when you have no money left to pay what you owe. One popular image is that someone's moral 'account' is empty of right and wrong, so the phrase means a complete lack of moral rules or standards.