as in unlawful
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
an unrighteous act that cannot go unpunished by the congregation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unrighteous
Spears writes of these unrighteous men matter-of-factly, avoiding the ad hominem attack, except for an occasional delicious arrow, including a recollection of the eternally white Timberlake meeting one of his rap heroes.
—
Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
He’s gone through buzzard-hot streaks and some slumps, at times taking wholly unrighteous shots, and none of that matters to the shooting guard.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Apr. 2021
Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous.
—Olivia Muenter, Woman's Day, 8 Feb. 2023
The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation.
—Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2022
Many people, after all, think that the righteous should prosper and the unrighteous not.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 July 2021
As with all fan bases, there are exceptions, a troubled few who have lost their minds over their fanaticism for a team that on the whole has deserved their righteous support, but not their unrighteous idiocy.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Mar. 2021
An early episode in this cycle played out in the seemingly unrighteous realm of Hollywood backstage drama.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 June 2020
Brief letter from the soldiers of Islamic State in the land of Andalus for the crusaders, the hateful, the sinful, the unrighteous, the corrupting ones.
—Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2017
Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
He’s gone through buzzard-hot streaks and some slumps, at times taking wholly unrighteous shots, and none of that matters to the shooting guard.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Apr. 2021
Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous.
—Olivia Muenter, Woman's Day, 8 Feb. 2023
The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation.
—Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2022
Many people, after all, think that the righteous should prosper and the unrighteous not.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 July 2021
As with all fan bases, there are exceptions, a troubled few who have lost their minds over their fanaticism for a team that on the whole has deserved their righteous support, but not their unrighteous idiocy.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Mar. 2021
An early episode in this cycle played out in the seemingly unrighteous realm of Hollywood backstage drama.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 June 2020
Brief letter from the soldiers of Islamic State in the land of Andalus for the crusaders, the hateful, the sinful, the unrighteous, the corrupting ones.
—Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrighteous
Adjective
-
In a brief unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court said that the injunction issued by the district court was based on its view that Mr. Trump's executive order and directives from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management implementing that action are unlawful.—
July 8,
CBS News,
8 July 2025
-
The dad was charged with violating his probation, parental kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to the news release.—
Kate Linderman
July 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
The Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910, is a federal law that prohibits the interstate or foreign transportation of individuals for prostitution or other immoral activities.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
-
What Ukraine needs now is the time, tools, and space to prove to the Kremlin that an occupation is not just immoral but incompatible with Russia’s long-term security needs.—
Michael Carpenter,
Foreign Affairs,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
From the twins and their parents to evil fiancées and housekeepers, the characters have gained a cult following since their release, with some fans using them as inspiration for their outfits, summer mood boards, and interior design.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 July 2025
-
Historically, antisemitic conspiracy theories have revolved around the idea that a shadowy and evil Jewish elite secretly controls the world, and ritualistic child abuse is a common trope within them.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
And then, on top of it, I was born out of some affair like some illegitimate, sinful mistake?—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
-
In New York, the story goes that the sloppily sinful sandwich on rye bread was named for the founder of New York’s Reuben Restaurant.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Tiernan McKinney often works on guitar necks, while Kennedy himself has input along the way on design, wood type, color and the wicked inlays found from top to bottom of each piece.—
Otto Rabe,
The Enquirer,
9 July 2025
-
The Judean wilds are full of others seeking clarity, plus a wicked merchant named Musa sent to test and torment the young ascetic from Galilee.—
Mia Barzilay Freund,
Vogue,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
Stanton, demonstrating that there’s still plenty of power in his vicious swing, sent the pitch 401 feet the other way at 106.1 mph.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
9 July 2025
-
The author presents a vicious takedown of George Washington.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
The tweets, a vile departure from Elmo’s often inspiring and motivational social media cadence, were sent on July 13 and promptly taken down.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
14 July 2025
-
Michael Kracker, the chair of the Erie County Republican Committee, posted the image on X, formerly Twitter, describing it as vile.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Tom threw batting practice to Jackson, took Ethan down in the garage to vent and hit soft toss after a bad day at school.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
-
But there's also nothing worse than missing a connection that delays your trip by hours or even a full day.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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