ethically
Americanadverb
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in a way that relates to morals, the principles of morality, or right and wrong conduct.
It is ethically unjustifiable to provide a lower standard of care to patients with lower income.
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in a way that accords with moral principles or the rules or norms for right conduct, often specific to a profession.
Teachers have an obligation to act ethically, promoting positive values and maintaining professional standards of behavior.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ethically
Explanation
When you do something ethically, you do it in an honest and principled way. Investing your money ethically requires you to carefully consider the way it will be used, and whether it will cause any harm. If a coffee grower pledges to act ethically, it means they promise to pay farmers fairly, and cosmetic companies run their businesses ethically when they use sustainable ingredients and refuse to test their products on animals. In both examples, there is thought given not just to making money, but to the way workers, animals, and the planet might be affected. The adverb ethically has a Greek root, ethos, "moral character."
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.
Then I admit that I find it uninspiring—maybe even troubling—to read posts from community members who are “asking the chatbot questions about their kids, which seems ethically wrong to me.”
From Slate • May 10, 2026
Divita also says that Lennick has made some smart moves with videos showing how to wear and style the clips, as well as promoting them as sustainably and ethically made in China.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
Frances Perkins, Franklin Roosevelt’s Labor secretary, recalled having to clean up the agency — not just morally and ethically, but with broom and bucket, when she took over from William Nuckles Doak, Herbert Hoover’s appointee.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Asked about potential conflicts of interest, Pentagon spokesman Parnell said, “The Deputy is a man of integrity who has conducted himself ethically throughout his entire career.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
But a PIH doctor spoke up, saying that he had signed the Hippocratic Oath to practice medicine ethically, but he didn’t remember signing an oath to do it in a cost-effective way.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
