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
Relevance
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
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
Palantir did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill, but the company has long pushed back on accusations that its technology is used for government surveillance or other potentially unethical objectives.
—
Julia Shapero, The Hill, 5 Jan. 2026
Advocates say giving parents the ability to throw out embryos with higher risks of conditions like Down Syndrome is unethical, but scientists inched towards this reality this year using gene-editing tools.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 2 Jan. 2026
Taking footage intended for our project to advance a narrative that was not our own is both unethical and unacceptable.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
There’s nothing unethical about buying within your means.
—Mecca Pryor, Essence, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unethical
Julia Shapero, The Hill, 5 Jan. 2026
Advocates say giving parents the ability to throw out embryos with higher risks of conditions like Down Syndrome is unethical, but scientists inched towards this reality this year using gene-editing tools.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 2 Jan. 2026
Taking footage intended for our project to advance a narrative that was not our own is both unethical and unacceptable.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
There’s nothing unethical about buying within your means.
—Mecca Pryor, Essence, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unethical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unethical
Adjective
-
In addition to being immoral, CFA’s support for BDS likely violates state law, AB 2844, which prohibits California from contracting with entities that engage in discrimination, including against Jews or Israelis.—
Mark Pinkert,
Oc Register,
23 Dec. 2025
-
The film follows the deliciously immoral, widowed Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), who maneuvers, deceives and seduces her way through London and across her relatives' country estates in an effort to find a wealthy husband for herself and her daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark).—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
29 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
For the first time, the defense attorney becomes the defendant, forced to fight for his own freedom while facing off against ruthless prosecutor Dana Berg (Constance Zimmer).—
Veronica Villafañe,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
And, as part of the deal, city planners aim to update development protocols to meet the challenges of a more ruthless wildfire regime.—
Mark Dee
January 27,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The unlawful taking of items from a machine or device that is operated or activated by the use of coins.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Mississippi officials have argued that the state law is not preempted, while the RNC has urged the high court to strike down the Magnolia State’s law, along with similar ones in other states, as unlawful.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In its sophomore season, Cross is in pursuit of a ruthless vigilante who is hunting down corrupt billionaire magnates.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
-
That eye-popping price looked less like an investment and more like a hefty tribute offered up to a corrupt strongman.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There are several elements in Bridgerton season 4 that resemble the story line of Cinderella, from enchanting balls to gloves and slippers — and even an evil stepmother.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The details in the Russian collusion hoax file is demonic—this is evil stuff.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His father, who believes Sammie's music to be sinful, orders him to drop the guitar, but Sammie can't do it.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Gettin’ sinful all of a sudden.—
David Searcy,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
That contraction represents a vicious cycle.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Benedict doesn’t realize that the woman who has entirely captured his attention is Sophie, the maid for the formidable Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), aka Lady Penwood and her daughters, the vicious and self-absorbed Rosamund Li (Michelle Mao) and the sweet but simple Posy Li (Isabella Wei).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Azzi Fudd scored 27 points and Sarah Strong added 26 to help UConn beat Tennessee, handing the Lady Vols their worst loss in the storied rivalry.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
-
To that end, here’s a selection of the best (and most enjoyably bad) literary film and TV coming to streaming services this month.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unethical. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
