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
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
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
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
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
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In November, jurors convicted Martinez of unlawful compensation and a related conspiracy charge.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
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The world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, has ruled that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and that Israel’s occupation and apartheid against Palestinians are unlawful.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, cousin Edmund, an aspiring clergyman, falls under the charms of Mary Crawford, written by Austen as a charming but immoral woman.—
Emily Zarevich,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Sep. 2025
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Ladapo said the decision was not reached according to the data, but instead on his view that vaccine mandates are immoral and outside the scope of the government’s authority.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The inexcusable, evil acts of an individual.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
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He and his followers were locked in a battle with an enemy that was not just ideologically opposed but unwell, possibly evil.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In an important variation, medieval soldiers returning from war regularly spent an extended period of penance in monasteries – a recognition of Catholicism’s teaching that any war is inherently sinful.—
Timothy Gabrielli,
The Conversation,
25 Aug. 2025
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Don’t dream of leaving without ordering a gigantic slice of the coconut cake with cream cheese frosting—sinful and certainly comforting.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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Both are wicked smart brainiacs on a tireless quest to do good in the world.—
Natasha Stoynoff,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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As the mystery unravels from multiple POVs, Alex’s kooky aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) is revealed as the orchestrator of the tragedy — her fiery orange hair, nimble fingers, ghostly face and wicked crimson smile a memorable image that haunts the narrative.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As and when evidence against that narrative comes out, either via six monthly reports or from some other source, the crash in the stock price will be more vicious than otherwise.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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In these homes, the conflict between budgeting and feeding kids well creates huge psychological stress for parents, which can lead to anxiety and depression, fueling the vicious cycle of stress and unhealthy eating, Beresin said.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The lingering effects of an incident so vile occurring within Burning man’s sweet bubble are bound to affect people for a long time.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
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This vile, heartless remark is completely unacceptable—especially from someone entrusted with our children.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But that’s actually a bad thing for a couple reasons.—
Jeff Fedotin,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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But worse than the poverty was the verbal and physical abuse from his father.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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