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
In The Weight, Hawke plays Samuel Murphy, who, after the death of his wife, is imprisoned in a labor camp run by Clancy, an unscrupulous overseer played by Russell Crowe.
—
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
Charlie sets out to retrieve the child, even though doing so will put him at odds with unscrupulous men on both sides of the border.
—Alexander Nazaryan, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Her unscrupulous, power-hungry uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) murders his own brother to become king.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Some also accused unscrupulous recruitment agents or Russian colleagues of stealing from their bank accounts.
—Larry Madowo, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
Charlie sets out to retrieve the child, even though doing so will put him at odds with unscrupulous men on both sides of the border.
—Alexander Nazaryan, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Her unscrupulous, power-hungry uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) murders his own brother to become king.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Some also accused unscrupulous recruitment agents or Russian colleagues of stealing from their bank accounts.
—Larry Madowo, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unscrupulous
Adjective
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More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent.—
Justin Callais,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
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More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent.—
Justin Callais,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The film centers on a car rental company owner who accidentally witnesses a murder, making him and his family targets of a ruthless gang.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
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Inspired by the book and 2003 Belgian film De zaak Alzheimer, the Fox psychological thriller series trades on Dempsey’s decades of goodwill as a beloved romantic lead to turn a ruthless killer into an antihero worth rooting for.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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And right now, these corrupt billionaires, these greedy corporations, are determining all avenues of our life, all types of policies.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Just as all British became painted as corrupt as part of their national character, so too did all Native people become seen as savage by their biological nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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In every era a certain kind of unprincipled demagogue driven by an insatiable need for attention and a sense of what will capture the public’s imagination rises to the fore.—
Mark Lilla,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That’s irresponsible or unethical.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
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This position is both unethical and a breakdown of the rule of law.—
Mark Pirie,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unscrupulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unscrupulous. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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