ethical

American  

[eth-i-kuhl] / ˈɛθ ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.

2. being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession.

   It was not considered ethical for physicians to advertise.

   Synonyms:

   honorable, virtuous, righteous, honest, upright, moral

   Antonyms:

   immoral

3. (of drugs) sold only upon medical prescription.

---

ethical British  

/ ˈɛθɪkəl /

adjective

1. in accordance with principles of conduct that are considered correct, esp those of a given profession or group

2. of or relating to ethics

3. (of a medicinal agent) available legally only with a doctor's prescription or consent

---

Other Word Forms

• ethicality noun
• ethically adverb
• ethicalness noun
• hyperethical adjective
• nonethical adjective
• pseudoethical adjective
• superethical adjective
• unethical adjective

Etymology

Origin of ethical

First recorded in 1600–10; ethic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

In 2011, he was removed from the bench of the Supreme Court for misconduct, and in 2022 he was expelled from a regional bar association for ethical and criminal violations.

From Barron's

As Mr. Solomon notes, these issues raise serious ethical questions.

From The Wall Street Journal

If you ate with us, went Chipotle’s pitch, you weren’t just eating Mexican food; you were eating something that was ethical, progressive, smart and cool — the burrito version of Erewhon.

From Los Angeles Times

‘I have a moral and ethical conundrum’: My husband was killed by a careless driver.

From MarketWatch

OpenAI and rival US startup Anthropic have seen public resignations of staff who have spoken out about their ethical concerns.

From Barron's

Related Words

• good
• honest
• honorable
• humane
• moral
• principled
• proper
• virtuous