unscrupulous
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unscrupulous
First recorded in 1795–1805; un- 1 + scrupulous
Explanation
Use the adjective unscrupulous to describe someone who behaves in a dishonest or unethical way. Unscrupulous behavior is the unfortunate resort of many ambitious people — it’s the immoral stuff they do to make success more attainable. When you sell someone bad loans, when you hack into your competition's accounts, when you read your roommate's mail for signs of an opportunity with his girlfriend, you're being unscrupulous.
Vocabulary lists containing unscrupulous
The Catcher in the Rye
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Power Prefix: un-
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Grade 10, List 6
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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.
He told reporters he was clamping down in response to “a whole bunch of developers who were acting in unscrupulous ways who were running roughshod over our communities.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Warning signs of unscrupulous firms include pressure tactics, such as repeated contact, often in messages and on the phone, pushing people to agree to a debt solution, the FCA says.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
The internet-savvy and unscrupulous were quick to cash in.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Both Washington and Mexico City have launched crackdowns against a complex web of unscrupulous functionaries, front companies and document fraudsters, among others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
“Perhaps,” said Scythe Curie, “but then again, perhaps not. There are some traditions not even the unscrupulous among us would dare break.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
