Definition of ethical
1 : of or relating to ethics ethical theories
2 : involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval ethical judgments
3 : conforming to accepted standards of conduct ethical behavior
4 of a drug : restricted to sale only on a doctor's prescription
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Examples of ethical in a Sentence
Some doctors feel that this procedure is not medically ethical.
the ethical behavior expected of every member of the police force
Recent Examples of ethical from the Web
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Wharton wrote about euthanasia again in her 1907 novel The Fruit of the Tree, in which a similar ethical dilemma serves as a major plot point.
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The test is four questions that cover ethical and moral issues to be considered in all communications.
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The technique has raised ethical issues in the forensics community, but law enforcement officials have argued the testing can provide investigators with valuable leads.
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Regardless of an employee’s years of service or position within the agency, they will be held accountable for their ethical decision-making, both on-duty and off-duty.
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But in the case of suramin, that would raise ethical issues.
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In ethical companies, those are not mutually exclusive concepts.
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Ethical lines were routinely crossed, troubling many of its workers, according to interviews with more than 20 current and former employees and more than 2,000 pages of internal documents.
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The main objections to more widespread placebo use in clinical practice are ethical, but the solutions to these conundrums can be surprisingly simple.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ethical'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of ethical
Middle English etik, from Latin ethicus, from Greek ēthikos, from ēthos character — more at sib
First Known Use: circa 1573
Synonym Discussion of ethical
Other Philosophy Terms
ETHICAL Defined for English Language Learners
ethical
playDefinition of ethical for English Language Learners
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: involving questions of right and wrong behavior : relating to ethics
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: following accepted rules of behavior : morally right and good
ETHICAL Defined for Kids
ethical
playDefinition of ethical for Students
1 : involving questions of right and wrong : relating to ethics ethical issues
2 : following accepted rules of behavior We expect ethical treatment of animals.
Medical Dictionary
ethical
Medical Definition of ethical
: an ethical drug
Law Dictionary
ethical
playLegal Definition of ethical
1 : of or relating to ethics
2 : conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct
ethically
adverbLearn More about ethical
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ethical Spanish Central: Translation of ethical Nglish: Translation of ethical for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ethical for Arabic speakers
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