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
Ivey recently described the LGBTQ community as unrighteous in a live stream from his Instagram account.
—
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
Ancient sacred writings teach us to avoid using unrighteous means to oppose the unrighteous demands of wicked rulers.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
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.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
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
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
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
Ancient sacred writings teach us to avoid using unrighteous means to oppose the unrighteous demands of wicked rulers.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
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.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrighteous
Adjective
-
The 27-year-old founder of a Sikh motorcycle club that prosecutors say was linked to the notorious Hells Angels has been sentenced for illegally dealing in firearms and unlawful possession of a machine gun.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
-
The Justice Department has repeatedly argued that the information sought in the subpoenas is needed to investigate possible fraud or unlawful off-label promotion of drugs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Each side views members of the other party not as merely having a different view on politics but rather as evil or immoral.—
James Piazza,
Twin Cities,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Pope Francis changed the church’s social teaching to declare capital punishment immoral in all cases.—
Nicole Winfield,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Another pair of wins from KPop Demon Hunters, which are attached to the evil boy band Saja Boys, cracked the top 10 as well, and several members – the group is made up of Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and Samuil Lee – are usually classified as K-pop artists.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
The filmmaker’s post included a photo of himself with a puppet of Metal Sonic, an evil robot version of Sonic from the gaming franchise that was teased at the end of the third movie.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bowing down and worshiping an idol is sinful.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
-
Efficiency is religion, and turnovers are almost sinful.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Daisy Ridley's Rey is wicked smart and a capable hero in a universe with the baddies of the First Order on the warpath.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
-
As Thompson reveals, Lean grew up Quaker and was forbidden from seeing movies, which were considered wicked.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
The story follows a Lebanese family caught in debts and schemes that drag them in a vicious cycle that tests their unity.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
But the score was a costly one since the penalty that sent up the goal — a vicious hit from defenseman Brayden McNabb — knocked Ducks forward Ryan Poehling out of the game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
The land of the southern hemisphere pulled away from this vile impactor, restructuring itself in the northern hemisphere.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
-
Fleeing Salzburg and his father’s (Jonathan Aris) iron fist and emphasis on perfection, Mozart, armed with his compositions, vile language and impulsivity, is determined to take on the city.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
West Ham showed themselves to be a bad team, less than the sum of their parts and wholly ill-equipped for the challenge in front of them.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Each reiteration and exaggeration of Mary’s bad behavior is another civic stroke of the chisel that perfects the monumental Lincoln in our collective imagination.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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