amoral

play

adjective amor·al \ (ˌ)ā-ˈmȯr-əl , (ˌ)a- , -ˈmär- \

Definition of amoral

1 a :having or showing no concern about whether behavior is morally right or wrong

amoral politicians

an amoral, selfish person

b :being neither moral nor immoral; specifically :lying outside the sphere to which moral judgments apply

Science as such is completely amoral.
—W. S. Thompson

2 :being outside or beyond the moral order or a particular code of morals

amoral customs

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amoralism

play \-ə-ˌli-zəm\ noun

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amorality

play \ˌā-mə-ˈra-lə-tē, ˌa-, -(ˌ)mȯ-\ noun

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amorally

play \ˌā-ˈmȯr-ə-lē, (ˌ)a-, -ˈmär-\ adverb

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Recent Examples of amoral from the Web

One of the best parts of Luke Cage was the way Mariah became such an amoral mastermind, despite having the seemingly benign goal of elevating the people of Harlem.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "Final Defenders trailer gives us the best kind of villain," 17 Aug. 2017
But the way to stay hopeful is to acknowledge and to not accept what is absolutely amoral, mentally ill behavior as normal.

— melissa locker, Time, "Here's How Stephen Colbert Stays Hopeful When He's Relentlessly Mocking Trump," 17 Aug. 2017
In the end, the amoral Trump appears driven less by ideology (though ousting Bannon and Gorka would remove key enablers).

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "The alt-right mentality in the White House is responsible for Trump's moral failure in Charlottesville," 16 Aug. 2017
In that moment, the nerd in me was transported to Westeros, to an increasingly amoral society, unmoored from its traditions and full of entitled and ambitious men and women who compete for power with unrestrained viciousness.

— david french, National Review, "A Game for Our Time," 16 July 2017
Though there's some irony overkill via a roving madman quoting various American presidents between scenes, the story avoids easy moralizing and overwrought symbology, ultimately asking us to ponder interpersonal responsibility in an amoral world.

— Chicago Reader, "The School for Lies, At the Table, and seven more new stage shows to see now," 6 July 2017
And there’s a chance that mass protests may actually make some of the party’s moderates (and/or amoral pragmatists) more eager to do their leadership’s bidding.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Obama Begs Senate GOP Not to Hurt Millions Just to Spite Him," 22 June 2017
There are lot of downsides to electing an amoral, xenophobic demagogue with a history of borrowing large sums of money from Russian banks and a (related?) fondness for Vladmir Putin.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Russia Vows to Target U.S.-Backed Aircraft in Western Syria," 19 June 2017
That's exactly the kind of empty, amoral, entirely performative politics that can lead to disaster.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Why Elected Officials Need to Stop the Performance Politics," 15 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amoral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.