unscrupulous

adjective

ˌən-ˈskrü-pyə-ləs How to pronounce unscrupulous (audio)
Definition of unscrupulousnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 unscrupulous However, a power of attorney can also allow an unscrupulous person to take advantage of you by moving money into his own account, paying his own bills, making cash withdrawals, or selling your real estate. — Christine Fletcher, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 The fire killed 168 people, most likely because of unscrupulous contractors who used shoddy materials. — New York Times, 20 July 2026 An unscrupulous politician whose opponent happens to be Virgil’s girlfriend, Marie? — Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 10 July 2026 Surfshark is here to upgrade that experience while protecting your online activity from unscrupulous beings and saving you money, too. — Stephanie Barnes, PC Magazine, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unscrupulous
  1. immoral
  2. ruthless
  3. corrupt
  4. unprincipled
  5. unethical
Adjective
  • Neither Agamemnon nor Menelaus grasp that their actions toward their wives were immoral.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
  • Some rabbinic readings attribute Lot’s hesitation to leave Sodom to his immoral greed and inordinate wealth.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • With her Demonic transformation, Rauch added a whole new shade of dark to Big Bang alums’ returns for the spinoff, following Kaley Cuoco’s ruthless Penny in Episode 2 and Kunal Nayyar’s deeply depressed Raj in Episode 1.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Through remarkable archival footage and an incredible range of interviews, Monsters of God digs into the egotistical and ruthless mentalities that supported competing criminal empires and the undercover operations that dismantled them.
    — Rory Doherty, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • His new documentary takes on the cryptocurrency industry, portraying the controversial digital currency as corrupt and in dire need of more regulations.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026
  • At its core, the crime known as huachicol fiscal is a vast tax evasion scheme centered on falsified paperwork — and corrupt officials.
    — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of corrupt
Adjective
  • That doesn't enable cunning and unprincipled men to subvert the power of the people.
    — Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
Definition of unprincipled
Adjective
  • The claim of a link stems from an unethical, fraudulent study that was retracted years ago, and its author was stripped of his medical license.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, which helps root out goods made with unethical labor, helped identify the batch announced Friday.
    — Luke Barr, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of unethical

Browse Nearby Words

unscripted
unscrupulous
unscrupulousness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unscrupulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unscrupulous. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unscrupulous

Nglish: Translation of unscrupulous for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All