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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ruthless
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
an unethical attorney, he had no qualms about getting off clients who he knew were guilty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
While there is nothing implicitly malicious or unethical about posting individual model data or visuals to social media, there are risks.
—
Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
Fleming was one of at least nine BPD employees who filed complaints, which boiled down to concerns that Lee engaged in unethical behavior, repeatedly retaliated against subordinates, and behaved unprofessionally while creating a hostile work environment.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 28 Jan. 2026
As secretary, Noem has displayed a troubling pattern of unethical behavior.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
And this of course can lead to mistakes and even unethical results.
—Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unethical
Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
Fleming was one of at least nine BPD employees who filed complaints, which boiled down to concerns that Lee engaged in unethical behavior, repeatedly retaliated against subordinates, and behaved unprofessionally while creating a hostile work environment.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 28 Jan. 2026
As secretary, Noem has displayed a troubling pattern of unethical behavior.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
And this of course can lead to mistakes and even unethical results.
—Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unethical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unethical
Adjective
-
The long-term damage that an unqualified, incompetent, compromised or immoral — but superpowered — mayor can inflict on the city is too great.—
Steven Falk,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Tourism dollars flowed in, even if the prettified Southern history being sold ignored the immoral plague that built its riches in the first place.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Figure skating is ruthless that way.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss (Bening), Lucky must fight for her life — and a way out.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The British government’s designation of Palestine Action as a terror group has been deemed unlawful by London’s High Court.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Lawsuits hamper National Guard deployments Every deployment except the one in New Orleans has faced significant legal challenges, with multiple judges ruling the mobilizations unlawful.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There, the political and commercial elites don’t shy away from murder to defend potentially corrupt schemes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Harrowing revelations about corrupt leaders, child rape and grooming come to the fore, and a stop-clock on the back wall counts down the minutes and seconds until the play’s most paralyzing realization.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Athena does a sapphire evil-eye look that is super-duper polished.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Even all of us people who hated the evil empire of Brady-Bill Belichick can’t help but secretly respect this version of the Patriots.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
His father, who believes Sammie's music to be sinful, orders him to drop the guitar, but Sammie can't do it.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Gettin’ sinful all of a sudden.—
David Searcy,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Everyone is fair game for her vicious tongue.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Attending a bad Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of communal experiences.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unethical. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
