unethical
Americanadjective
-
lacking moral principles; unwilling to adhere to proper rules of conduct.
-
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.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unethical
Compare meaning
How does unethical compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Eating the last cookie without sharing? That's just mean. But if you stole that cookie and then lied about it, that would be morally wrong, or unethical. The prefix un- means "not," so something or someone who's unethical is literally "not ethical." In other words, that someone is lacking principles or morals. Because being unethical involves going against social or professional expectations of what's right, it's a word that's often used to describe bad behavior or immoral conduct. So like the great philosophers, you can decide if Cookie Monster has an ethics problem — or just bad eating habits.
Vocabulary lists containing unethical
Even More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Power Prefix: un-
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The Phantom Tollbooth
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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.
Unethical doctors bill insurers for expensive and unnecessary treatments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Unethical labor practices, both human and animal, continue to crop up the more these industries are looked into.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2021
Unethical traders know that snakes, lizards and turtles do not rank as high priorities for law enforcement and customs officials in Western countries.
From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2018
Unethical tactics can result in problems over the long term.
From Time • Sep. 9, 2016
In a blog post last week titled "The Goldwater Rule: Why Breaking it is Unethical and Irresponsible," APA President Maria A. Oquendo reiterated that psychiatrists shouldn't offer opinions about candidates they have not personally examined.
From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2016
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.
