1
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
unethical treatment of prisoners of war that was a clear violation of international law
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
an unethical attorney, he had no qualms about getting off clients who he knew were guilty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unethical
Without governance, companies risk biased algorithms making unethical decisions, non-compliance with strict regulations in areas like finance and healthcare and a loss of transparency that erodes employee and customer trust.
—
Dutt Kalluri, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Schools compete fiercely to sign top recruits, sometimes engaging in unethical gray areas.
—Jim Martin, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
That money helped pay for private planes, gifts for funeral directors, unethical payment of funeral expenses and a $750,000 payment to McCoy.
—Arkansas Online, 29 July 2025
Not only have the Maxi League golfers had unethical hip surgery to give them extra strength, but Happy and the pro golfers must compete under Maxi League rules.
—Skyler Trepel, People.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unethical
Dutt Kalluri, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Schools compete fiercely to sign top recruits, sometimes engaging in unethical gray areas.
—Jim Martin, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
That money helped pay for private planes, gifts for funeral directors, unethical payment of funeral expenses and a $750,000 payment to McCoy.
—Arkansas Online, 29 July 2025
Not only have the Maxi League golfers had unethical hip surgery to give them extra strength, but Happy and the pro golfers must compete under Maxi League rules.
—Skyler Trepel, People.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unethical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unethical
Adjective
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Rudy flames out on his first day, though, and ends up working for a shady lawyer named Bruiser (Lana Parrilla) and her gleefully immoral paralegal Deck (P.J. Byrne).—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
12 Aug. 2025
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Others argue the bombings were militarily unnecessary, inherently immoral, and primarily designed to flex American power.—
David Cavell,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Sweeney stars as Penny Jo, a South Dakota diner waitress with an appealing smile, an ingratiating stammer, a scarf in her hair, and deep reserves of ruthless ambition.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
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Early in his career, Trump apprenticed himself to Roy Cohn, an unprincipled lawyer who taught the young Donald how to gain wealth and influence through ruthless bullying, profane braggadocio, opportunistic bigotry, baseless lawsuits, lying, and more lying.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Instead, advocates say those who are not in shelter are being pushed farther and farther away from services in an attempt to escape unlawful camping citations.—
Keely Doll,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
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Drake Solomon accuses his former employer of disability discrimination and an unlawful severance offer.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But these are only the 'official' statistics released by corrupt City Officials.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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The Boys, a satirical drama about vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt superheroes, is gearing up for the release of its fifth and final season, expected sometime in 2026 on Prime Video.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As these evil forces encroach, the pup finds the courage to protect his owner and territory.—
Connor Merrihew,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
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Somehow the lucky, evil, nefarious Wordle Bot guessed in just two today!—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Don’t dream of leaving without ordering a gigantic slice of the coconut cake with cream cheese frosting—sinful and certainly comforting.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
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Growing up in rural Tennessee, my grandfather learned that certain activities — card playing, smoking, imbibing — were sinful.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
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Nothing could possibly go wrong with all the vicious alien specimens on board, right?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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So, bad for the nation's largest city, bad for the Democratic Party, and bad for the nation overall given the importance of the Democrats mustering the ability to take back the House next year to counter Trump.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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Not bad for a company built on the back of a $40 plastic-cased watch!—
Oren Hartov,
Robb Report,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unethical. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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