A philosopher or person who studies or advocates deontological ethics, emphasizing duty and rules over consequences.
From deontological + -ist (agent suffix meaning a person who practices or studies something). Established as a philosophical term in the 20th century as academic philosophy categorized ethical frameworks.
A deontologist might refuse to lie even in a trolley problem scenario where lying saves lives—this extreme position explains why deontological ethics is taught in philosophy classes: it challenges our intuition that *good outcomes* should matter most in morality.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.