ethic
Americannoun
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ethics
plural
-
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.
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a complex of moral precepts held or rules of conduct followed by an individual.
a personal ethic.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Growing up down south forever shapes your language, work ethic, appreciation for how hard life can be and so much more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"What came through more than anything else was his determination to succeed. That work ethic was clear."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
What I will say about Sullivan is he has the work ethic to go with the talent.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
If you haven’t noticed yet, Cadet is motivated to take his skills and work ethic as far as they can go and won’t let anyone put up a roadblock to stop him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The relative lack of material goods has led some to regard these groups as exemplifying an ethic of living lightly on the land.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Counsel to the inquiry Teniola Onabanjo asked Harry if NHS England recognised that the enthusiasm for innovation might "outpace" the scrutiny of consent and ethics when it comes to camera technology.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Everybody else who gets an ethics complaint or faces an ethics question faces fact-finding about it.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
Government ethics ranked second behind the economy in Pew's open-ended survey, cited by nine percent of voters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Public statements she has already made about the case raise serious questions about whether state ethics rules permit her to participate in the case at all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
It is very important to discover graceful exits like that in the newspaper business, where it is such an important part of the ethics that you should never seem to be working.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
