moral low ground
- noun
- /ˈmɔrəl loʊ ɡraʊnd/
:
bajo nivel moral
- He took the moral low ground by attacking her character instead of her ideas.
Examples
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Resorting to bribery put the company firmly on the moral low ground in the eyes of the public.
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The politician took the moral low ground by spreading false rumors about his opponent.
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Accusing others without evidence is a way of taking the moral low ground in any discussion.
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Don't take the moral low ground!
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Accusing others without evidence is a way of taking the moral low ground in any discussion.
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Resorting to bribery put the company firmly on the moral low ground in the eyes of the public.
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The politician took the moral low ground by spreading false rumors about his opponent.
Synonyms
5
7.0
A way of acting that is dishonest or unfair
1
8.1
Low moral quality that shows shameful behavior
Antonyms
How Moral
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'ground' as a position or basis, modified by 'moral' (ethical) and 'low' (inferior), so a morally inferior position follows naturally from combining the words. This composition follows a common high/low ground metaphor found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should comprehend it.
Etymology
Moral low ground may come from a simple picture: think of moral as right and wrong and of low and ground as low, muddy land that sits beneath higher, cleaner ground. That's why the phrase means a position that is 'not moral' or 'unethical'.