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
One award was given to reporters from The Connecticut Mirror, a local news website, and reporters from ProPublica, who were recognized for their series on unscrupulous car-towing companies.
—
Neda Ulaby, NPR, 4 May 2026
When an unscrupulous business associate stole money out of the couple’s business account, forcing them to close ESO, the community rallied their support and raised funds on GoFundMe to keep it open.
—Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026
Earlier this month, the New Yorker magazine published a profile that painted him as an unscrupulous executive.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Police at this point believe neither of these new notes are authentic, just an attempt by unscrupulous people to take advantage of the situation.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Neda Ulaby, NPR, 4 May 2026
When an unscrupulous business associate stole money out of the couple’s business account, forcing them to close ESO, the community rallied their support and raised funds on GoFundMe to keep it open.
—Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026
Earlier this month, the New Yorker magazine published a profile that painted him as an unscrupulous executive.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Police at this point believe neither of these new notes are authentic, just an attempt by unscrupulous people to take advantage of the situation.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unscrupulous
Adjective
-
Each side views members of the other party not as merely having a different view on politics but rather as evil or immoral.—
James Piazza,
Twin Cities,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Pope Francis changed the church’s social teaching to declare capital punishment immoral in all cases.—
Nicole Winfield,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When a ruthless despot steals a billion-dollar fortune, the team is sent to steal it back on what would be for anyone else a suicide mission.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
Assayas offers anecdotes, a feuilleton of tyranny in which the foibles of the mighty and the ruthless reveal the sentimental side of cruelty, the amusement value of ugly deeds, and the polite side of monstrous ideas.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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The film explores themes of power and coming of age in a corrupt society, with campus culture wars and climate grief at its center.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Practically all the public’s attention has been on the president and his oddball or vengeful or unprincipled actions.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
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How pathetically far this blithering, unprincipled piece of trash has gone to endanger other lives, to expressly distract and deflect from his own wicked deeds, and to further benefit his grifting family’s larcenously enlarged bounties.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Healthcare groups including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have said many crisis pregnancy centers use unethical and deceptive practices to bring women into their organizations.—
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
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By and large, consumers are more skeptical of brands’ sustainability messaging; some 60 percent now avoid products from untrustworthy or unethical sources, per the report.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unscrupulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unscrupulous. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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