UNETHICAL Synonyms: 188 Similar and Opposite Words

unethical

adjective

ˌən-ˈe-thi-kəl

Definition of unethical

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unethical The fashion waste is one thing, but the unethical standards is the biggest thing for me. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2026 Cobalt supply chains are plagued by unethical mining practices in remote regions worldwide, and the material itself poses a notable safety hazard due to its tendency to catch fire or short-circuit when overcharged. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026 Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei blasted the treatment of his team at the FIFA World Cup, suggesting it's been unethical. — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 22 June 2026 Attorneys have said those relationships are by and large unethical, but also rare. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unethical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unethical

Adjective

Some rabbinic readings attribute Lot’s hesitation to leave Sodom to his immoral greed and inordinate wealth.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 25 June 2026

Definition of immoral

Adjective

Communism’s pure economic theory is now rarely practiced anywhere — even if ruthless leaders in hybrid capitalist economies like China and Russia have retained the authoritarian iron fists of their predecessors.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Otherwise, Kail sticks closely to the template established for him, recreating every scene and sequence from the first movie with ruthless fidelity and adding essentially no departures of any significance.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026

Definition of ruthless

Adjective

Kayden Bordley, 19, faces one count each of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action, according to a Jackson County charging document.

— Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
The hours-long pandemonium involved some teenaged children and young adults throwing mortars, fireworks and more at those who crowded about and at police officers, a grocery store getting merchandise stolen and an unlawful assembly declared.

— Sierra van der Brug, Oc Register, 6 July 2026

Definition of unlawful

Adjective

Harry and the six other high-profile claimants failed to prove their allegations that the publisher unlawfully obtained private information through methods including private investigators, deception, phone hacking and corrupt payments.

— Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
After all, this was FIFA, the infamously corrupt governing body of international soccer that seems to function not based on its rulebook but on the whims of a few guys in a room.

— Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 July 2026

Definition of corrupt

Adjective

Through Latin and early Christian usage, the word took on its modern sense of an evil supernatural spirit.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
When it was overturned, however, the United States rightly or wrongly became the evil empire to the rest of world soccer.

— Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026

Definition of evil

Adjective

Critics also have challenged the report’s characterization of cases involving women, contending these were consensual affairs that were sinful but not abusive.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 June 2026
Naim and his overly anxious single mom (Mia Wasikowska) attend rote church services in which the pastor looks to exorcise the LGBTQ+ from sinful boys who like boys and girls who like girls.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

Definition of sinful

Adjective

The early Cold War liberals had read their history books and seen how the French Revolution had begun with high progressive hopes but descended into a vicious bloodbath.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
After a similarly vicious storm struck the New York area late Friday, hundreds of thousands of utility customers were left without power, trains to New Jersey were canceled and thousands of trees were damaged or uprooted.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Despite concerns that California’s costs and regulations are bad for business, the state has attracted an unprecedented pile of capital this year, and no other state is even close.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
The Giants are now 39-54 this season, two games up on Colorado (38-57) for the worst record in the NL and second-worst in MLB.

— Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 10 July 2026

Definition of bad

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unessential

unethical

unethically

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“Unethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unethical. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of unethical

adjective

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