moralize
/ˈmɒ.ɹə.laɪz/
"moralize" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“moralize” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make moral reflections (on, upon, about or over something); to regard acts and events as involving a moral.
Corpus desk
Index EN-moralize · moralize · English
moralize · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "M" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | moralize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈmɒ.ɹə.laɪz/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “moralize” in English
Rare enough to double-check
moralize is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈmɒ.ɹə.laɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for moralize, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French moraliser, equivalent to moral + -ize. The correct English form is moralize, spelled M-O-R-A-L-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1To make moral reflections (on, upon, about or over something); to regard acts and events as involving a moral.
- 2To say (something) expressing a moral reflection or judgment.
- 3To render moral; to correct the morals of; to give the appearance of morality to.
- 4To give a moral quality to; to affect the moral quality of, either for better or worse.
- 5To apply to a moral purpose; to explain in a moral sense; to draw a moral from.
- 6To supply with moral lessons, teachings, or examples; to lend a moral to.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how moralize appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
1589, Robert Greene, Menaphon, London: Sampson Clarke, “Arcadia,” […] his Ladie reaching him a Marigold, he began to moralize of it thus merely. I meruaile the Poets that were so prodigall in painting the amorous affection of the Sunne to his Hyacinth, did neuer obserue the relation of loue twixt him and the Marigold:
1741, Samuel Richardson, Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, London: S. Richardson and J. Osborn,, Volume 3, Letter 8, p. 38, […] I shall not make an unworthy Correspondent altogether; for I can get into thy grave Way, and moralize a little now-and-then:
Etymology
From Old French moraliser, equivalent to moral + -ize.
Synonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.