ethical
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- immoral
-
(of drugs) sold only upon medical prescription.
adjective
-
in accordance with principles of conduct that are considered correct, esp those of a given profession or group
-
of or relating to ethics
-
(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
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.
“If you don’t have some ethical and moral framework — it doesn’t have to be from a religion — you will be lost and swept away by this. People need some type of grounding.”
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
The ethical question was a factor in Maven's early years, when Google was the program's original AI contractor.
From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026
Cordes noted that credentialed tax professionals — including enrolled agents and CPAs — have due-diligence and ethical obligations.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
Miller, who died in 2012, was a labor history buff who realized that highly skilled workers often developed elaborate ethical codes that promoted solidarity with other employees.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
“Which would be a loss to society at large, yes? So sometimes it's ethical not to reveal a secret. Nicholas?”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
