1. the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, meaning, and foundations of ethical concepts and moral judgments
Usage: philosophy; academic

Examples

• The professor’s course on metaethics explored whether moral statements can be objectively true or false.
• Metaethics asks fundamental questions about the nature of good and evil.
• Students studying metaethics examine how we can know what is morally right.
• The debate in metaethics centers on whether moral facts exist independently of human beliefs.
• Her dissertation focused on metaethics and the problem of moral disagreement.
• Metaethics differs from normative ethics by studying the meaning of moral language itself.