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
Some were plagued by bad investments and unscrupulous advisors.
—
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
Greg Daniels, who co-created all three shows, has said that the newsroom setting was attractive because newspapers play a vital democratic role but are in increasingly dire straits—zombified by unscrupulous owners who come in and cut the journalism to the bone.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
The Department of Labor needs to write clear rules that protect companies from unfair lawsuits while still protecting against clear cases of fraud by unscrupulous employers.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
In the eighth season of Rick and Morty, our unscrupulous genius and his teenage companion get into lots more scraps featuring virtual realities, the Easter Bunny, and an entire planet full of their clones.
—PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
Greg Daniels, who co-created all three shows, has said that the newsroom setting was attractive because newspapers play a vital democratic role but are in increasingly dire straits—zombified by unscrupulous owners who come in and cut the journalism to the bone.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
The Department of Labor needs to write clear rules that protect companies from unfair lawsuits while still protecting against clear cases of fraud by unscrupulous employers.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
In the eighth season of Rick and Morty, our unscrupulous genius and his teenage companion get into lots more scraps featuring virtual realities, the Easter Bunny, and an entire planet full of their clones.
—PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unscrupulous
Adjective
-
Unlike previous seasons, Dorothy never makes immoral choices.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
This is disgraceful and immoral.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Governed by Saturn, this Earth sign is known for its ruthless ambition and long-term visions, making this lunar phase all the more stern and no-nonsense.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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In another example of a ruthless campaign to crush dissent, Cuban authorities sentenced the wife of a Cuban political prisoner to 14 years in prison for charges of acting against state security, for which she had been previously acquitted due to lack of evidence.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Our institutions are failing us — either corrupt or underfunded, gutted and useless — and we’re absorbed with stories of characters that manage to save themselves, and on their own terms.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
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That failure was on corrupt leadership.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the past, that’s opened small businesses to frivolous lawsuits filed by unprincipled lawyers that file massive lawsuits and offer quick settlements.—
Erica Goldstein,
Boston Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
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Rule by ‘ambitious, and unprincipled men’ Partisanship is the primary problem for the American republic, according to Washington.—
Robert A. Strong,
The Conversation,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Specifically, the four customers argued that Hershey's violated Florida Deceptive And Unfair Trade Practices Act, which is designed to protect Floridians from unfair competition, deceptive acts and unethical practices.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
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Pursuing a case that fails to meet that standard is unethical, full stop.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unscrupulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unscrupulous. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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