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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Recent Examples of unrighteous
Ivey recently described the LGBTQ community as unrighteous in a live stream from his Instagram account.
—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Ancient sacred writings teach us to avoid using unrighteous means to oppose the unrighteous demands of wicked rulers.
—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
24 Feb. 2026
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
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
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
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Ancient sacred writings teach us to avoid using unrighteous means to oppose the unrighteous demands of wicked rulers.
—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
24 Feb. 2026
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrighteous
Adjective
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The filing, submitted in the San Diego County Superior Court, seeks a judge’s order to condemn and destroy the embargoed kratom products, halt ongoing unlawful manufacturing and impose civil penalties.
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Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the court's opinion that unlawful drug use alone cannot be grounds to seek to send someone to prison and potentially force them to give up firearms for life.
Adjective
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These monsters—its antitheses—constitute that part of our nature that urges us to be sensible and strong, and that inclines us to see the life drive as trivial, weak, sentimental and immoral.
-
The artist wrote that keeping silent on this kind of behavior is akin to turning a blind eye to immoral behavior.
Adjective
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Zoroastrianism’s core tenets – a single God, the cosmic struggle between good and evil – are widely believed by historians to have formed the theological groundwork for the major Abrahamic religions.
-
Not all devices are evil, the toys realize, and even the best machines—like even the best toys—will eventually break down and get tossed aside for a shiny new model.
Adjective
-
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.
-
Bowing down and worshiping an idol is sinful.
Adjective
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But even the most perfect Constitution can be undone by the wicked with the help of the bought, the stupid, and the cowardly.
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Because my gut feeling tells me another round of wicked winds this way comes.
Adjective
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The story follows vicious ex-con, Max Cady (Bardem) and his revenge plot against married couple Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Adams).
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Mahmic’s vicious goal in traffic salvaged some good feeling before a decisive showdown with Qatar next week.
Adjective
-
Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment.
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That person is referring to heavyweight Josh Hokit, who is facing widespread backlash for making a vile joke about former first lady Michelle Obama after winning his match over Derrick Lewis.
Adjective
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Are those still your worst fears?
-
While a higher tracker error is not bad in and of itself, most investors become uncomfortable when their portfolio acts so differently from the index.
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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