ethic
Americannoun
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ethics
plural
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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:
Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken has been impressed with Thompson’s work ethic, saying “he’s willing to go ahead and put in the work.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
But his work ethic never changed, his cousin Bilal says.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
His skill, work ethic and knowledge are imparted in the meeting room and on the field, edge rusher Byron Young said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
The comedian later said his father's work ethic greatly influenced his approach to his own career.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
His code was simple New Testament ethic, its rewards were the respect and devotion of all who knew him.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
And he maintained that media lawyers were "less and less... looking at the consequences and editorial or ethics judgements".
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Kuntz said Florida judicial ethics rules had not required him to step aside from the case, and he was only contacted by the White House after he had given his legal opinion.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Their ignorance that this even happens raises questions about the ethics of the insurance companies they hire to manage their benefits,” Cuban told MarketWatch in an email.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Under his tenure, the commission staff has worked rigorously to enforce the toughest local ethics laws in the nation, including a gift ban and restrictions on lobbyists.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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.
