ethic

noun eth·ic \ ˈe-thik \

Definition of ethic

1 ethics plural in form but singular or plural in construction :the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation

2 a :a set of moral principles :a theory or system of moral values

the present-day materialistic ethic

an old-fashioned work ethic

—often used in plural but singular or plural in construction

an elaborate ethics

Christian ethics

b ethics plural in form but singular or plural in construction :the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group

professional ethics

c :a guiding philosophy

d :a consciousness of moral importance

forge a conservation ethic

3 ethics plural :a set of moral issues or aspects (such as rightness)

debated the ethics of human cloning

See ethic defined for English-language learners

Examples of ethic in a Sentence

Ethics is his chosen field of study.

Recent Examples of ethic from the Web

This, to me, is indicative of a focus on quality not ethics.

— pamela constable, Washington Post, "‘I believe in the Afghan people,’ says top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan," 26 Aug. 2017
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and scientist, made lasting contributions in the fields of ethics, metaphysics and biology.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Countdown to football: Mount Carmel ranked No. 5 in preseason," 21 Aug. 2017
In comments submitted before NSF adopted its current policy in 2010, Heitman and a group of professional ethics educators urged NSF to be more proactive, by reviewing RCR plans and offering guidance on how they could be improved.

— jeffrey mervis, Science | AAAS, "Despite policy's weaknesses, NSF to reiterate stance on teaching good research habits," 17 Aug. 2017
These policies—not a lack of work ethic, not immigrants, and not people of color—are the real source of pain for so many Americans.

— rakeen mabud and andrea flynn, Teen Vogue, "The "Pulling Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps" Myth, Explained," 15 Aug. 2017
Before that, Strange was the attorney general of Alabama, overseeing the ethics investigation of the governor who, after appointing him, would resign to avoid impeachment.

— molly ball, The Atlantic, "What Happens When Trump Endorses the Candidate of the Hated Establishment?," 14 Aug. 2017
Yet his work ethic is unrivaled inside the Royals clubhouse, teammates say.

— by rustin dodd, kansascity, "Royals manager Ned Yost benches Alex Gordon in effort to hit the reset button on season," 8 Aug. 2017
While not the first case of human embryo editing, the announcement has re-ignited the controversy over the ethics of gene editing.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "Five Things to Know About the Latest Gene Editing Breakthrough," 3 Aug. 2017
The talks with Anbang fell apart in March amid protests from ethics experts and from Democrats, who fretted about conflicts of interest and threats to national security.

— The Economist, "Searching for a Kushy landingThe Trump presidency may not have helped Kushner Companies," 20 July 2017

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

Ethics vs Morals: Is there a difference?

Ethics and morals are both used in the plural and are often regarded as synonyms, but there is some distinction in how they are used.

Morals often describes one's particular values concerning what is right and what is wrong:

It would go against my morals to help you cheat on the test.

He appears to view himself as a kind of culture warrior, striking out against the crumbling morals of modern society.
Jonathan Goldsbie, Now Toronto, 16 Oct. 2014

While ethics can refer broadly to moral principles, one often sees it applied to questions of correct behavior within a relatively narrow area of activity:

Our class had a debate over the ethics of genetic testing.

Anybody, it seemed, could make the music -- if they couldn't play guitar, they could push a button -- and nobody worried about the ethics of appropriating riffs.
Jennifer Foote, Newsweek, 23 July 1990

In addition, morals usually connotes an element of subjective preference, while ethics tends to suggest aspects of universal fairness and the question of whether or not an action is responsible:

Perhaps you don’t like Kim Kardashian, or her family, or her morals don’t align with yours, or you just think it’s weird that she might have had some plastic surgery, likes to apply makeup in a really complicated way and named her kid “Saint.”
Sarah Boboltz, The Huffington Post, 12 Oct. 2016

The Frenches, both professors in The Media School, focused on the ethics of making medical decisions for a child who could not express her own wishes yet…
Chris Mura, Indiana Daily Student, 18 Oct. 2016