Meaning & use
moral importance
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Meanings
noununcountable
The quality of being significant because it involves questions of right and wrong.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural: the moral importance of honesty.
Patterns
- moral importance of something
- of moral importance
- attach moral importance to something
Philosophers debate the moral importance of keeping promises, even when it is inconvenient.
The report stressed the moral importance of protecting the most vulnerable people in society.
Many people attach great moral importance to telling the truth, no matter the consequences.
noununcountable
The degree to which something matters in ethical terms, especially in a particular situation or decision.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of' plus a noun phrase: the moral importance of the decision.
Patterns
- the moral importance of something
- recognize the moral importance of something
- question the moral importance of something
The judge spoke about the moral importance of treating every witness with respect.
Some critics question the moral importance of awards that celebrate wealth rather than service.
Common combinations
- of moral importance
- Whether we help a stranger in need is of moral importance.
- attach moral importance to
- Different cultures attach moral importance to different family duties.
- the moral importance of
- The teacher explained the moral importance of fair play.
- great moral importance
- The decision was of great moral importance to the whole village.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ethical significance
- Very close in meaning but more formal and often used in academic writing; moral importance is slightly more common in everyday discussion.
- moral weight
- Suggests how much something should influence a moral decision, while moral importance is broader and simply states that something matters morally.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: moral importance or immorality?
moral importance vs immorality
Immorality means 'wrong or wicked behavior'; moral importance is about how much something matters in moral terms, not about being bad.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'moral importance' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 is correct because it uses the phrase to talk about the ethical significance of a law. Option 1 is wrong because 'a moral importance' is not used, and a car is not a moral matter. Option 2 is wrong because importance cannot be physically heavy. Option 3 is wrong because cleaning a room is not usually a moral issue.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moral importance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.