moralist.

1. A person who studies, writes about, or teaches moral conduct and ethical principles.

2. A person who frequently judges or lectures others about morality, often with excessive certainty.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a philosophical moralist
• a literary moralist

On the page

The moralist considered the promise binding even after its advantage disappeared.

She read the novel as the work of a moralist, not a sermon against pleasure.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Singular moralist; plural moralists. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.