unscrupulous

[uhn-skroo-pyuh-luhs]

adjective

1. not scrupulous; unrestrained by scruples; conscienceless; unprincipled.

unscrupulous

/ ʌnˈskruːpjʊləs, ʌnˌskruːpjʊˈlɒsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. without scruples; unprincipled

Other Word Forms

• unscrupulously adverb
• unscrupulousness noun
• unscrupulosity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unscrupulous¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; un- ¹ + scrupulous

Synonym Study

Unscrupulous, unprincipled refer to lack of moral standards or conscience to guide one's conduct. An unscrupulous person is without scruples of conscience, and disregards, or has contempt for, laws of right or justice with which they are perfectly well acquainted, and which should restrain their actions: Methods of making money that are unscrupulous often involve taking advantage of the unfortunate. An unprincipled person is without moral principles or ethical standards in their conduct or actions: He's an unprincipled rogue; Her unprincipled conduct got her dismissed from the job.

Example Sentences

Legal reforms stopped unscrupulous contractors and plaintiff attorneys from jacking up claim costs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The real losers in this are the unscrupulous and incompetent immigration attorneys who exploit their clients and bog down the system with baseless asylum claims,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But there have been instances of unscrupulous backyard brewers adding methanol to drinks to make them go further, and some bars and street sellers mixing it with spirit-based drinks and cocktails to cut costs.

Read more on BBC

The BBC revealed on Wednesday that unscrupulous foreign companies were using AI generated images to fool customers into buying poor quality items from fake businesses.

Read more on BBC

I could even see some unscrupulous actors attempting to find a way to influence AI models so investors who don’t know exactly how to assess an opportunity could be unknowingly presented with biased information.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• corrupt 
• crafty 
• crooked 
• deceitful 
• dishonest 
• illegal 
• petty 
• ruthless 
• selfish 
• shady 
• shameless 
• underhanded 
• unethical 
• venal