unethical

[uhn-eth-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. lacking moral principles; unwilling to adhere to proper rules of conduct.

2. not in accord with the standards of a profession.

   She treated patients outside the area of her training, and the appropriate medical organization punished her unethical behavior.

unethical

/ ʌnˈɛθɪkəl /

adjective

1. not ethical; improper

   companies involved in unethical practices

Other Word Forms

• unethically adverb
• unethicalness noun
• unethicality noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unethical¹

un- ¹ + ethical

Example Sentences

That partial victory may mean renewed scrutiny on regulations that some sports say are needed to protect fairness in the female category, but which critics argue are unethical and discriminatory.

From BBC

In the meantime, she paid £349 to another provider who then said they too had run out, which she describes as "unethical".

From BBC

He told the press it would be unethical to rely on a witness he considered a liar, bluntly conceding: “The case is in trouble.”

From Los Angeles Times

The move prompted several of them to resign over what they saw as an unethical deal to win the mayor’s cooperation in the administration’s plan to round up immigrants who are in the country illegally.

From Los Angeles Times

"If Andy Byron had made light of this, that would have been very unfair and very unethical, because he was the one undertaking in the bad behaviour."

From BBC

Related Words

• corrupt 
• illegal 
• improper 
• underhanded 
• unfair 
• unprofessional 
• unscrupulous 
• wrong