ethic
Americannoun
-
the body of moral principles or values governing or distinctive of a particular culture or group.
the Christian ethic; the tribal ethic of the Zuni.
-
a complex of moral precepts held or rules of conduct followed by an individual.
a personal ethic.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ethic
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ethic, etic, from Latin ēthicus, from Greek ēthikós, equivalent to êth(os) ethos + -ikos -ic
Explanation
An ethic is framework, or guiding principle, and it's often moral. People with a strong work ethic believe that hard work is a good thing in and of itself. A social ethic might include "treating people as you want to be treated." Used in the plural, ethics refers to the moral rules that you live by. You can use it generally, as in: "my ethics don’t include cheating." Or you can use it specifically, as in: "Slander and the running of negative ads do not seem to contradict the senator’s political ethics."
Vocabulary lists containing ethic
The Suffix -ic, Part 1
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Outliers
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Life Is So Good
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the June 3, 2026, print edition as 'American Idle: The Work Ethic Goes Out of Style'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
As early as 2020, the Holy See launched the "Rome Appeal for an AI Ethic", which called for new technologies to respect human dignity.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
In her book, “Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church and the Council of Chalcedon,” Marshall Turman critiqued the Morehouse social gospel tradition, even interviewing Butts.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2024
Prince Harry and Meghan have joined Ethic, which advises wealthy clients on how to invest their money more sustainably, prioritising issues like climate change and human rights.
From BBC • Oct. 12, 2021
Ethic in the narrower sense and Politic; for though the two are intimately connected, they are also very distinct, and many questions can only be properly discussed by carefully observing the distinction.
From Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Long, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
