ethic

noun

eth·ic ˈe-thik

Synonyms of ethic next

: 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

ethics ˈe-thiks

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

professional ethics

: a consciousness of moral importance

forge a conservation ethic

: a guiding philosophy

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

debated the ethics of human cloning

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

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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. 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

Examples of ethic in a Sentence

Ethics is his chosen field of study.

Recent Examples on the Web Barbara Fried Fried also teaches law at Stanford and is considered a leading scholar of legal ethics. —

Eli Tan, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023 The case was a muted start for the court’s new term, although the justices have been under intense scrutiny over their ethics after revelations that some of their colleagues had failed to disclose luxury travel and gifts. —

Abbie Vansickle, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2023 Such is the case with Savior Complex, HBO’s new three-part doc that digs into some contentious issues – including colonialism, medical ethics, religious fervor, and the limits of activism – with a flawlessly steady hand. —

Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2023 The ethics of care Robots can unite the groups that work with them by eliciting human emotions when integrated seamlessly. —

Janet Vertesi, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2023 Clark also violated several state ethics rules, according to the investigation overseen by Edward Robbins, a former federal prosecutor. —

Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023 Making sure Lincoln Riley is happy — and stays in L.A. Aug. 21, 2023 Full disclosure, Evans worked as a Los Angeles Times prep writer for a couple of years and left here with a sterling reputation for relentless effort and unquestioned ethics. —

Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023 Letters sent this afternoon to top officials at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by a medical ethics group call on the agency to investigate Musk’s claims that monkeys who died during trials at the company were terminally ill and did not die as a result of Neuralink implants. —

Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 20 Sep. 2023 Davi Ottenheimer, vice president of trust and digital ethics at data security company Inrupt, reviewed Charley for The Postand found that the webpage wasn’t sharing data with third parties, a common marketing practice even for health-care organizations. —

Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 See More

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.