1
as in honorable
conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue
the ethical behavior expected of every member of the police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in honest
following the accepted rules of moral conduct
the ethical course of action for the senator who lied to Congress would be to resign
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in moral
guided by or in accordance with one's sense of right and wrong
ethical writers do not use the words of other writers without giving them proper credit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ethical
While government contractors often work on behalf of other clients and businesses, there’s ethical considerations about doing so at the same time.
—
Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 30 July 2025
In the meantime, former employees at the attorney general's office filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Paxton that accused him of several ethical missteps, including using his position to help a wealthy donor and possibly receive home remodeling in exchange for favors.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
The new complaint alleges Boasberg violated ethical obligations through his public comments and calls for his removal from the case, in addition to disciplinary action.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2025
In fact, few groups in society are as universally disliked as ethical vegans, vegetarians and advocates for animal rights.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethical
Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 30 July 2025
In the meantime, former employees at the attorney general's office filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Paxton that accused him of several ethical missteps, including using his position to help a wealthy donor and possibly receive home remodeling in exchange for favors.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
The new complaint alleges Boasberg violated ethical obligations through his public comments and calls for his removal from the case, in addition to disciplinary action.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2025
In fact, few groups in society are as universally disliked as ethical vegans, vegetarians and advocates for animal rights.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ethical
Adjective
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Its own sly twist casts Robert Mitchum—the original Cady—as the elderly, honorable police lieutenant Elgart, and Gregory Peck, 1962’s Bowden, as Cady’s defense attorney.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
29 July 2025
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To this attack, some men have responded by lending their support to individuals that embody none of those honorable traits that men aspire to internalize.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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This is a great way to spot medical fraud or an honest human error like a miscoding of services.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Rebuilding company trust requires honest leadership, true accountability and a thorough examination of the company’s values — and whether they’re being lived or merely listed on the company website.—
Alyshia Hull,
USA Today,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
Human decision making includes context, experience and moral reasoning.—
Haider Ali,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
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This gap is a moral issue and a missed opportunity.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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This rings especially true for me, a vegetarian for nearly two decades.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
26 July 2025
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This was certainly true of the Mets last summer when Taylor played his way into the lineup more consistently than Harrison Bader.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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Reeling from scandals in the 1870s, baseball’s owners consciously sought to make the sport respectable by broadening its upper- and middle-class fan-base.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
23 July 2025
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Despite that streak ending, Swag had a more than respectable opening, debuting with 163,000 overall units on 198.77 million streams, per Billboard.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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New hires can't learn by example because there's no one to watch, and conscientious peers can't see when newcomers are struggling.—
David Meade,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Each one should be the result of a deliberate, conscientious decision by the only person elected to make it.—
Sreedhar Potarazu,
Baltimore Sun,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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And, the embroidery on the pillowcases adds a nice touch.—
Shalwah Evans,
People.com,
14 July 2025
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The units also vary in shape: the cube is nice for nightstands, while the wider grand size works well on large dressers.—
Jamie Fischer,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Despite that, the Lyriq-V’s looks, comfort and features are as good as anything on the road.—
Mark Phelan,
Freep.com,
31 July 2025
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The cocktails are classic and the wine list is so good that it's been lauded by Wine Spectator magazine.—
Keith Pandolfi,
The Enquirer,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ethical. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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