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unethical

adjective
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un·​eth·​i·​cal | \ ˌən-ˈe-thi-kəl How to pronounce unethical (audio) \

Definition of unethical

: not conforming to a high moral standard : morally wrong : not ethical illegal and unethical business practices immoral and unethical behavior
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Other Words from unethical

unethically \ ˌən-​ˈe-​thi-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce unethically (audio) \ adverb

Examples of unethical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The company rejected the notion that selling an intervention that hasn’t been fully proven is unethical. — NBC News, "Parents pay thousands for 'brain training' to help kids with ADHD and autism. But does it work?," 20 Dec. 2019 In the advocacy culture of our new media, ex-government officials such as Brennan, Clapper, and McCabe can be paid to appear on news programs to analyze (or vindicate) their own unethical behavior. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "Former Intelligence Chiefs Fit Perfectly into Media Advocacy Culture," 19 Dec. 2019 Your friend would actually be profiting off of her husband's company, which is unethical. — Amy Dickinson, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Amy: Girls' trip leads to payment pressure," 25 Sep. 2019 That’s led some contractors to feel their work is unethical, according to the people with knowledge of the matter. — Sarah Frier, Fortune, "Facebook Stops Recording Users’ Audio, as Contract Transcriptionists Express Ethical Concerns," 13 Aug. 2019 When Annalise discovered just how unethical Wallace was, the two clash and Wallace arranges for her to be hit by a car. — Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, "How to Get Away With Murder," 25 Sep. 2019 The consequences of such unethical behavior aren’t just financial. — Nick Leiber, Los Angeles Times, "When a ‘trusted’ financial professional targets the assets of America’s elderly," 22 Oct. 2019 What’s more, lethal sampling—or killing a whale for the purposes of scientific study—is widely considered to be unethical. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "How Drones Are Helping Scientists Figure Out Whales’ Weight," 3 Oct. 2019 Such unethical behavior undermines American foreign policy efforts and jeopardizes the integrity of our elections. — The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, "Editorial: Trump’s unethical push for a Ukrainian investigation into his political rival must be condemned," 27 Sep. 2019

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

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First Known Use of unethical

1871, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for unethical

Time Traveler

The first known use of unethical was in 1871

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Statistics for unethical

Last Updated

31 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Unethical.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unethical. Accessed 24 January 2020.

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More Definitions for unethical

unethical

adjective
How to pronounce unethical (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of unethical

: morally bad : not ethical

See the full definition for unethical in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on unethical

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unethical

Spanish Central: Translation of unethical

Nglish: Translation of unethical for Spanish Speakers

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