plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group
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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. 2016The 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
Examples of ethic in a Sentence
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 20 Nov. 2023
Jones saw him, and many of the other boys who had witnessed the murder, often, but a strong no-snitching ethic prevented any of them from talking to investigators.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023
On Friday, a resolution was introduced by the chairman of the House ethics committee to expel New York representative George Santos from Congress after a recent report demonstrated that Santos had used campaign funds for personal purchases.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023
As a senior ethics official at the National Security Council, Yevgeny Vindman brought the report to his superiors.
—Teo Armus, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023
The committee has been investigating the court’s ethics and passed an ethics code, though all 10 Republicans on the panel voted against it.
—Mark Sherman, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2023
The ethics controversies also touched Justice Samuel Alito who was accused of accepting and failing to report private jet travel and a stay at an Alaskan fishing lodge.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2023
Washington — The Supreme Court issued a code of conduct signed by all nine justices on Monday, laying out formal rules after months of intense scrutiny of the court's ethics practices.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2023
The ethics commission so far this year has issued three separate fines.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English ethik, from Middle French ethique, from Latin ethice, from Greek ēthikē, from ēthikos
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Phrases Containing ethic
Dictionary Entries Near ethic
Cite this Entry
“Ethic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on ethic
Nglish: Translation of ethic for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ethic for Arabic Speakers
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