as in immoral
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
an unprincipled businessman who made a lot of money—and didn't care how he did it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unprincipled
In every era a certain kind of unprincipled demagogue driven by an insatiable need for attention and a sense of what will capture the public’s imagination rises to the fore.
—
Mark Lilla,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Mar. 2026
In the past, that’s opened small businesses to frivolous lawsuits filed by unprincipled lawyers that file massive lawsuits and offer quick settlements.
—
Erica Goldstein,
Boston Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Rule by ‘ambitious, and unprincipled men’ Partisanship is the primary problem for the American republic, according to Washington.
—
Robert A. Strong,
The Conversation,
8 Sep. 2025
Yet Aster casts their motives as unprincipled and self-serving.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unprincipled
Mark Lilla,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Mar. 2026
In the past, that’s opened small businesses to frivolous lawsuits filed by unprincipled lawyers that file massive lawsuits and offer quick settlements.
—
Erica Goldstein,
Boston Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Rule by ‘ambitious, and unprincipled men’ Partisanship is the primary problem for the American republic, according to Washington.
—
Robert A. Strong,
The Conversation,
8 Sep. 2025
Yet Aster casts their motives as unprincipled and self-serving.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unprincipled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unprincipled
Adjective
-
Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.
-
These monsters—its antitheses—constitute that part of our nature that urges us to be sensible and strong, and that inclines us to see the life drive as trivial, weak, sentimental and immoral.
Adjective
-
Natural selection is usually ruthless about weeding out traits with no function.
-
Supergirl builds to a final showdown with Krem of the Yellow Hills, the ruthless Brigands leader who murdered Ruthye’s family and poisoned Krypto early in the film.
Adjective
-
The Khmer Rouge lost power in 1979, but fighting and instability continued for decades, leaving Cambodia's temples unprotected and vulnerable… easy targets for unscrupulous antiquities dealers like Douglas Latchford.
-
At age 11, my favorite Broadway show was Follies – a classic preteen tale about the decay of female beauty and fading fame within an unscrupulous industry of vaudeville and burlesque.
Adjective
-
In reality, leaders on both sides are corrupt and always on the edge of disaster.
-
My career actually focuses on bonding and preventing taxpayers from being on the hook for the failures of bankrupt and corrupt companies.
Cite this Entry
“Unprincipled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unprincipled. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
