immoral

[ ih-mawr-uhl, ih-mor- ]
See synonyms for: immoralimmorally on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. violating moral principles; not conforming to the patterns of conduct usually accepted or established as consistent with principles of personal and social ethics.

  2. licentious or lascivious.

Origin of immoral

1
First recorded in 1650–60; im-2 + moral

synonym study For immoral

Immoral, abandoned, depraved describe one who makes no attempt to curb self-indulgence. Immoral, referring to conduct, applies to one who acts contrary to or does not obey or conform to standards of morality; it may also mean licentious and perhaps dissipated. Abandoned, referring to condition, applies to one hopelessly, and usually passively, sunk in wickedness and unrestrained appetites. Depraved, referring to character, applies to one who voluntarily seeks evil and viciousness. Immoral, amoral, nonmoral, and unmoral are sometimes confused with one another. Immoral means not moral and connotes evil or licentious behavior.
Amoral, nonmoral, and unmoral, virtually synonymous although the first is by far the most common form, mean utterly lacking in morals (either good or bad), neither moral nor immoral. However, since, in some contexts, there is a stigma implicit in a complete lack of morals, being amoral, nonmoral, or unmoral is sometimes considered just as reprehensible as being immoral.

Other words for immoral

Other words from immoral

  • im·mor·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use immoral in a sentence

  • For this, Valley accuses us of deliberately and immorally abusing the history of anti-Semitism, including even the Holocaust.

  • Meta "very immorally," as Norman told her, comforted Nipen with a large share of her sandwiches.

    The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
  • But even so, I often find myself immorally glad that they figure in the programme.

  • But I was not alone; for close beside me stood a little French landaulet, the most immorally alluring car I had ever seen.

    Bizarre | Lawton Mackall
  • Love, unless united with reprobation of evil-doing, is as likely to act immorally as morally.

    Theoretical Ethics | Milton Valentine
  • Moya was giving herself up, almost immorally, Paul sometimes thought, to the fascination Mrs. Bogardus's personality had for her.

    The Desert and The Sown | Mary Hallock Foote

British Dictionary definitions for immoral

immoral

/ (ɪˈmɒrəl) /


adjective
  1. transgressing accepted moral rules; corrupt

  2. sexually dissolute; profligate or promiscuous

  1. unscrupulous or unethical: immoral trading

  2. tending to corrupt or resulting from corruption: an immoral film; immoral earnings

Derived forms of immoral

  • immorally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012