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.
At Rosewood’s three hotels located throughout New Zealand, the chefs honor this ethically sourced ethos, working with local purveyors and farmers to source indigenous ingredients like beach spinach, fern fronds and abalone.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
According to the researchers, this makes open-label placebos a promising and ethically acceptable strategy for supporting healthy aging.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
"Creating 'deadbots' of Russian soldiers or deepfakes of fallen Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine is extremely complex and ethically difficult to assess in a clear-cut way," she says.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
“He’s very clear about his process and the way he’s ethically approached data collection, the way he works with the Yawanawá tribes,” Lane says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Or is there a third category that, ethically speaking, is not so clear-cut?
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.
