1
as in immoral
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable unethical treatment of prisoners of war that was a clear violation of international law

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2

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unethical Stone banned political investigations, unethical tactics – including wiretapping and entrapment – and targeting political enemies. Douglas M. Charles, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2025 That unethical relationship was exposed by S. V. Dáte, a White House reporter for the liberal Huffington Post, whom Trump kicked out of the White House press pool. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2025 The final list of top performers excludes some companies that were involved in incidents of data breaches, major recalls, lawsuits, unethical practices or environmental harm. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025 Matsuda feels that customers often have a skewed idea of the financial reality of small businesses, especially those that are committed to avoiding the use of cheap materials or unethical labor. Virgie Tovar, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unethical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unethical
Adjective
  • Trump’s contrived veneer is being ripped away to reveal an immoral, mendacious, transactional opportunist, without a shred of loyalty to anyone or anything but himself.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Before these studies, the cause of TB was presumed to be primarily constitutional, by either an inherent predisposition or from unhealthy or immoral lifestyles.
    Karen Dobos, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Pierce Brosnan's patriarch is ruthless, but is his wife actually pulling the strings?
    Matt Cabral, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
  • Successful entrepreneurs are ruthless with time and priorities Successful entrepreneurs are ruthless with their time and fiercely protective of their focus.
    Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • White went on to plead guilty to a felony charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and sentenced to almost nine years in federal prison.
    Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
  • He was charged with unlawful restraint and domestic battery.
    Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom is a soap opera about a hospital where the doctors aren’t good-looking or vibrating with noble sentiment but generally corrupt or insane.
    Adam Thirlwell, The New York Review of Books, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The Filipino-language thriller follows Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide who steals money from the safe of her corrupt police chief boss, distributing it to slum dwellers whose homes were destroyed.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Lillard’s career catapulted following his turn in the flick as Stu Macher, one-half of the evil duo (including Ulrich’s Billy Loomis) behind the savage killings at Woodsboro High.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2025
  • She was set to flee the country to escape the clutches of an ancient evil empress who happened to be her wicked stepmother.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Michelle Yeoh Yeoh may be in her villain era, but there's nothing sinful about her Louvre look.
    Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
  • The dominant Christian theology of the Middle Ages held that wealth was inherently sinful in a world where most people toiled in terrible poverty.
    Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • This creates a vicious cycle: more applications lead to lower acceptance rates, triggering even more applications from worried students.
    Sarah Hernholm, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • However, some people develop unhelpful habits and ways of thinking about sleep that create a vicious cycle, said Krieger, who is also director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.
    Sandee LaMotte, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the Heat has been among the NBA’s worst teams in the league since Butler’s departure.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2025
  • While instant coffee had a bad rap, the powdered drink has become popular again with new brands and technology.
    Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unethical. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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