unscrupulous
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
Unscrupulous, unprincipled refer to lack of moral standards or conscience to guide one's conduct. An unscrupulous person is without scruples of conscience, and disregards, or has contempt for, laws of right or justice with which they are perfectly well acquainted, and which should restrain their actions: Methods of making money that are unscrupulous often involve taking advantage of the unfortunate. An unprincipled person is without moral principles or ethical standards in their conduct or actions: He's an unprincipled rogue; Her unprincipled conduct got her dismissed from the job.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of unscrupulous
First recorded in 1795–1805; un- 1 + scrupulous
Explanation
Use the adjective unscrupulous to describe someone who behaves in a dishonest or unethical way. Unscrupulous behavior is the unfortunate resort of many ambitious people — it’s the immoral stuff they do to make success more attainable. When you sell someone bad loans, when you hack into your competition's accounts, when you read your roommate's mail for signs of an opportunity with his girlfriend, you're being unscrupulous.
Vocabulary lists containing unscrupulous
The Catcher in the Rye
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Power Prefix: un-
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Grade 10, List 6
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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.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute said that while the mis-selling or misdescription of fish was not a widespread issue it acknowledged "there are still some unscrupulous businesses".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
Some unscrupulous businesses are seeing it as an opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
"As the demand for certain breeds increases, we see a lot more unscrupulous breeding going on, including really poor breeding practices and puppy smuggling," he said.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
When the Justice Department and the IRS go after unscrupulous preparers, they often obtain plea deals in exchange for the preparer’s cooperation.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
People had raised their eyebrows when Ali, a man who had memorized the Koran, married Sanaubar, a woman nineteen years younger, a beautiful but notoriously unscrupulous woman who lived up to her dishonorable reputation.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
