unethical

adjective

un·​eth·​i·​cal ˌən-ˈe-thi-kəl 

: not conforming to a high moral standard : morally wrong : not ethical

illegal and unethical business practices

immoral and unethical behavior

unethically

ˌən-ˈe-thi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of unethical

• immoral
• unlawful
• evil
• sinful
• vicious
• bad
• vile
• dark

Examples of unethical in a Sentence

unethical treatment of prisoners of war that was a clear violation of international law

an unethical attorney, he had no qualms about getting off clients who he knew were guilty

Recent Examples on the Web

Before some of the NBA’s best players spent Valentine’s Day Saturday in competitive 3-point shooting and dunking exhibitions, Commissioner Adam Silver gave his best lawyerly answers in a half-hour-long news conference focused largely on unethical hoops. —Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026

Tedros suggested that denying half the children in the trial an intervention that has been proven to be safe and effective would be unethical. —Helen Branswell, STAT, 11 Feb. 2026

When vaccines are already available for a disease, it's considered unethical to give clinical trial participants a placebo, rather than compare the new vaccine to the existing one. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026

They including paying for information that produced major stories, actions that would be considered unethical in American journalism. —David Bauder, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unethical

• ethical