moralize
/ˈmɒrəlaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɔːrəlaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmȯr-ə-ˌlīz ˈmär-/ (ame, mw)
moralize — 動詞
- moralizepresent simple I / you / we / they
- moralizeshe / she / it
- moralizedpast simple
- moralizing-ing form
1. to keep telling other people, in a long and annoying way, which behaviours count
說教；訓人
對是非長篇大論地告誡他人
to keep telling other people, in a long and annoying way, which behaviours count as good or bad, often sounding as if you are better than them.
Uncle Vinícius spent the whole dinner moralizing about how young people no longer respect their elders.
Vinícius 叔叔整頓晚餐都在說教，講年輕人多麼不尊敬長輩。
moralize about + topic
Please stop moralizing — I just want practical advice about the bill, not a lecture.
拜託別再說教了，我只想要關於帳單的實用建議，不是一場大道理。
imperative: stop moralizing
The columnist moralized at length on the dangers of social media for teenage girls.
那位專欄作家就社群媒體對青少女的危害，長篇大論地講了一番大道理。
Jiwoo rolled her eyes whenever her brother began to moralize about her late-night gaming.
每當哥哥開始對 Jiwoo 熬夜打電動的事說教，她就翻白眼。
Some readers felt the novel moralized too much, instead of letting the characters speak for themselves.
有些讀者覺得這本小說說教意味太重，沒有讓角色自己說話。
- preach
stronger negative tone; suggests the speaker is delivering a sermon to people who did not ask for it
- sermonize
very formal and clearly negative; emphasises the long, serious speech style
- lecture
broader; can be about any topic, while moralize is specifically about right and wrong
- pontificate
stresses speaking with an air of authority, not necessarily about morals
文法句型
moralize
moralize about + noun
moralize on + noun
用法筆記
Frequently negative in tone — the speaker sees the moralizer as preachy or self-righteous. Often pairs with 'about' or 'on' plus the topic; the person being lectured is usually implied, not named.
常見錯誤
2. to treat a story, event, or image as if its main purpose is to teach readers a l
做道德解讀
把故事或事件當作道德教訓來闡釋
to treat a story, event, or image as if its main purpose is to teach readers a lesson about good and bad behaviour.
Victorian writers often moralized children's fables, adding warnings about lying and laziness at the end.
維多利亞時期的作家常常把兒童寓言做道德解讀，在結尾加上關於說謊與懶惰的警告。
moralize + a story / fable
Indra argued that critics should not moralize every painting that shows poverty or suffering.
Indra 主張，評論家不該對每一幅描繪貧窮或苦難的畫作都做道德解讀。
transitive: moralize + a work of art
The director refused to moralize the war scenes, leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions.
那位導演拒絕對戰爭場面做道德解讀，讓觀眾自行得出結論。
Older biographies tend to moralize a famous life, picking only the lessons that match their values.
較舊的傳記往往會對一個名人的人生做道德解讀，只挑選符合自己價值觀的教訓。
- allegorize
more technical; treats a text as a hidden symbolic story, not only as a moral lesson
- interpret
broader and neutral; does not assume the reading is moral or judgmental
文法句型
moralize + noun phrase
moralize + a story / event / image
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the object is a story, image, or event that someone forces a moral reading onto, not a topic the speaker preaches about. Common in literary and art criticism.
常見錯誤
3. to make a person or group behave in a more moral way, by teaching, reforming, or
教化；導正
藉教育或規範改善他人的品德
to make a person or group behave in a more moral way, by teaching, reforming, or setting strong rules.
Nineteenth-century reformers believed that public schools would moralize the children of the poor.
十九世紀的改革者相信，公立學校能教化貧苦人家的孩子。
moralize + a social group
Nora founded the charity hoping it would moralize prison life rather than only punish offenders.
Nora 創立這個慈善機構，希望它能教化獄中生活，而不是只懲罰犯人。
moralize + an institution
Critics argued that the new policy was an attempt to moralize the working class through fear of fines.
批評者認為，新政策是想藉由罰款的威脅來導正勞工階級。
The pamphlets aimed to moralize young soldiers far from home and tempted by bad company.
這些小冊子是要教化遠離家鄉、容易結交壞朋友的年輕士兵。
- corrupt
means to make morally worse, the opposite movement
文法句型
moralize + a person / society / institution
用法筆記
Mostly appears in historical, religious, or sociological writing about reform movements. Object is usually a group (the poor, the army, the prison) rather than a single named person.