as in unlawful
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
an unrighteous act that cannot go unpunished by the congregation
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Recent Examples of unrighteous
Spears writes of these unrighteous men matter-of-factly, avoiding the ad hominem attack, except for an occasional delicious arrow, including a recollection of the eternally white Timberlake meeting one of his rap heroes.
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Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
He’s gone through buzzard-hot streaks and some slumps, at times taking wholly unrighteous shots, and none of that matters to the shooting guard.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Apr. 2021
Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous.
—Olivia Muenter, Woman's Day, 8 Feb. 2023
The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation.
—Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2022
Many people, after all, think that the righteous should prosper and the unrighteous not.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 July 2021
As with all fan bases, there are exceptions, a troubled few who have lost their minds over their fanaticism for a team that on the whole has deserved their righteous support, but not their unrighteous idiocy.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Mar. 2021
An early episode in this cycle played out in the seemingly unrighteous realm of Hollywood backstage drama.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 June 2020
Brief letter from the soldiers of Islamic State in the land of Andalus for the crusaders, the hateful, the sinful, the unrighteous, the corrupting ones.
—Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2017
Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
He’s gone through buzzard-hot streaks and some slumps, at times taking wholly unrighteous shots, and none of that matters to the shooting guard.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Apr. 2021
Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous.
—Olivia Muenter, Woman's Day, 8 Feb. 2023
The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation.
—Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2022
Many people, after all, think that the righteous should prosper and the unrighteous not.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 July 2021
As with all fan bases, there are exceptions, a troubled few who have lost their minds over their fanaticism for a team that on the whole has deserved their righteous support, but not their unrighteous idiocy.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Mar. 2021
An early episode in this cycle played out in the seemingly unrighteous realm of Hollywood backstage drama.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 June 2020
Brief letter from the soldiers of Islamic State in the land of Andalus for the crusaders, the hateful, the sinful, the unrighteous, the corrupting ones.
—Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrighteous
Adjective
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Some are called because of incorrect ingredient information on packet labels or unlawful importation, for example.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
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Currently incarcerated in Utah, YoungBoy faces six charges of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, as well as charges related to a pattern of unlawful activity stemming from a May 2023 arrest.Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Regulated sportsbooks find gambling on minors immoral in some respects, but you guys don’t.Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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In a 2022 Pew Research Center study, growing numbers of Americans said members of the other party are dishonest, immoral and closed-minded.Rachel Carlson, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Millions of people around the world celebrate the Persian festival of Yalda, which marks the sunrise after the longest night of the year, said to be the night evil forces held the most power.Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
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Much like 2014’s Ouija, a group of tedious teens unleash an evil entity haunting a specific set of tarot cards.Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But it also was forged from a particular kind of alchemy that separates a sinful holiday confection from a sugar-sodden mess.Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024
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While the Church teaches that homosexual acts are sinful, Francis has made efforts to make LGBTQ+ Catholics feel welcome.San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2024
Adjective
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In an awards season that is looking pretty wicked on a number of levels, the Golden Globes pulled back the curtain on some magical contenders this morning.Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Dec. 2024
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The word ‘wicked’ is so small that it can be thrown from the open back door of a school bus.Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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That was confirmed by his patron in Moscow, which supported the regime in crushing what started as a peaceful protest movement during the Arab Spring and became a vicious civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and sparked a refugee crisis.Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024
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Its main proxy, Hezbollah, was crippled by a pager attack on its hierarchy, and then by weeks of vicious airstrikes.Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The dancing on the death of somebody was pretty vile.Miranda Kennedy, Vox, 10 Dec. 2024
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The hour sits with him as his anxiety builds, causing some to sympathize with him despite his typical vile behavior.EW Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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If anything, the living conditions seemed to get worse.Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
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That's not a bad stat to have on your Challenge resumé.Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near unrighteous
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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