unprincipled

[uhn-prin-suh-puhld]

adjective

1. lacking or not based on moral scruples or principles.

   an unprincipled person; unprincipled behavior.

   Synonyms: dishonest, tricky

2. not instructed in the principles of something (usually followed byin ).

unprincipled

/ ʌnˈprɪnsɪpəld /

adjective

1. lacking moral principles; unscrupulous

2. archaic,  (foll by in) not versed in the principles of (a subject)

Other Word Forms

• unprincipledness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unprincipled¹

First recorded in 1625–35; un- ¹ + principled

Synonym Study

See unscrupulous.

Example Sentences

“He’s unprincipled. There is a lack of respect for any kind of ideological or moral or any kind of stance. What matters to him is trying to come to power.”

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David Hozen, a law professor at Columbia, criticized the reforms, calling them “as unprincipled as they are unprecedented” and arguing that the deal was a “legal form to an extortion scheme.”

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I came to know him as an unprincipled man of greed, lust and carnal desires that continue to rule him and thus make him unfit for office.

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Davis, for his part, expects Biden to be reelected, given his record and the contrast he offers to the wayward, unprincipled ex-president.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Of course, it is only Trump who is in personal jeopardy because of his reckless and unprincipled behavior, not his millions of followers.

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Related Words

• amoral 
• deceitful 
• dishonest 
• immoral 
• unconscionable 
• unethical 
• unprofessional 
• unscrupulous