moral authority

collocation in English

meaningsofmoralandauthority

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withauthority.
moral
adjective
uk
/ˈmɒr.əl/
us
/ˈmɔːr.əl/
relating to the standards of good or bad behaviour, fairness, honesty, etc. that each person believes in, rather than ...
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authority
noun
uk
/ɔːˈθɒr.ə.ti/
us
/əˈθɔːr.ə.t̬i/
the moral or legal right or ability ...
See more atauthority

(Definition ofmoralandauthorityfrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofmoral authority

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
They had already gainedmoralauthorityamong large sections of the city's population.
From theCambridge English Corpus
He must combinemoralauthorityover his fellow tribesmen with the ability to deliver benefits and services to his followers.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Themoralauthorityto govern creates a normative presumption that decisions will be accepted.
From theCambridge English Corpus
At the second stage, he draws implications from this according of rights, including themoralauthority of the political community to recognize and enforce them.
From theCambridge English Corpus
They do have at least prima faciemoralauthority, but that authority must be balanced by other symbolic meanings and moral factors.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Ordinarily they command the legal andmoralauthorityto conscript citizens in the interest of legitimate national defense.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Partly, it was in the nature of amoralauthoritywhich the elites increasingly enjoyed among the city's populace.
From theCambridge English Corpus
I shall discuss the ' specialmoralauthority' this implies below.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Others may appreciate the appropriateness or even the necessity of action while recognizing that they lack themoralauthorityto do so.
From theCambridge English Corpus
I do not think it any longer has themoralauthorityto do so.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Once this option ceased to exist, no single institution emerged with themoralauthorityand material resources to enforce customary kinship, religious, and civic obligations.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Somehow, these imaginings then endow themselves withmoralauthorityand institutional support.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Although not specifically ' political ', women's religious and ritual activities were power-laden in that they reflected and expressedmoralauthority.
From theCambridge English Corpus
So the elites had to share themoralauthoritywith the government.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The elites thought that this would earn them social prestige andmoralauthorityamong the city's population.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Any conduct that seems to place the physician's selfinterest above that of the patient's reduces the respect andmoralauthorityclaimed by the profession.
From theCambridge English Corpus
This permissionbased source formoralauthoritydoes not appeal to any particular ranking of goods or of right-making principles.
From theCambridge English Corpus
For these men, then, theirmoralauthorityand presentation is directly tied to their company and their position within it.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Finally, the concept of specialmoralauthorityis inconsistent with the consequentialist principle that the action which produces the most value is obligatory.
From theCambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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