as in immoral
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
an unscrupulous businessman manipulated them into selling their land for practically nothing
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Recent Examples of unscrupulous
According to investigative reports, unscrupulous lawyers collude with medical mills and lawsuit financiers to recruit immigrants and people experiencing homelessness to orchestrate accidents, arrange unnecessary surgeries and cash in on inflated settlements.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
Perhaps more disturbing is the effect AI could have on the system if generative writing programs are used by unscrupulous parties to create phoney evidence.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
Without the courts, the country would be at the mercy of unscrupulous politicians who could act with impunity.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2026
In The Weight, Hawke plays Samuel Murphy, who, after the death of his wife, is imprisoned in a labor camp run by Clancy, an unscrupulous overseer played by Russell Crowe.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
Perhaps more disturbing is the effect AI could have on the system if generative writing programs are used by unscrupulous parties to create phoney evidence.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026
Without the courts, the country would be at the mercy of unscrupulous politicians who could act with impunity.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2026
In The Weight, Hawke plays Samuel Murphy, who, after the death of his wife, is imprisoned in a labor camp run by Clancy, an unscrupulous overseer played by Russell Crowe.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unscrupulous
Adjective
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The Michigan State Police said Robert Wilson, 44, of Gaylord, was arrested on March 25 and lodged at the Otsego County Jail on one charge each of accosting a minor for immoral purposes and using a computer to commit a crime.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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When the status quo is fundamentally evil and dysfunctional, then Trimming is immoral.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Typewriters, stationery, fine-art museums, the quintessential impressionist painter—these are all associated with taste, beauty, and craft, as well as with intentionality and care, the opposite of the ruthless technological efficiency that repels many from generative AI.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Even if the film doesn’t co-sign her ideology, Ursula is the most nuanced of the ruthless killers, and Gellar is adept at digging into the character’s ambiguity and shifting priorities.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Smuggling — sometimes by rope, sometimes with the help of corrupt jail guards — has long been a problem at the troubled federal jail, which has been plagued by violence, horrific conditions and severe staffing shortages for years.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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No corrupt leader enriching himself and the Epstein class buddies.—
Diego Parrado,
Vanity Fair,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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How pathetically far this blithering, unprincipled piece of trash has gone to endanger other lives, to expressly distract and deflect from his own wicked deeds, and to further benefit his grifting family’s larcenously enlarged bounties.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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In every era a certain kind of unprincipled demagogue driven by an insatiable need for attention and a sense of what will capture the public’s imagination rises to the fore.—
Mark Lilla,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As Kaiko continues adjusting to life indoors, Turner hopes her story will help others recognize the long‑term consequences of unethical breeding—and the difference a safe, loving home can make.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unscrupulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unscrupulous. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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