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
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
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
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Jazzlyn Johnson, a spokesperson for Johnson, said in an email that Sanchez-Munoz had been charged with one count of second-degree felony murder, five counts of unlawful use of a weapon and five counts of armed criminal action.
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The policies Goode violated include unlawful harassment discrimination policy, professional conduct, code of conduct and mobile data access.
Adjective
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Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.
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These monsters—its antitheses—constitute that part of our nature that urges us to be sensible and strong, and that inclines us to see the life drive as trivial, weak, sentimental and immoral.
Adjective
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There is so much evil and suffering in the world, so much conniving and malicious intent, and the self is, at least, a familiar foe.
-
When the monsters reveal an evil agenda that goes beyond becoming movie stars, the Minions are forced to battle them to save the world.
Adjective
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Critics also have challenged the report’s characterization of cases involving women, contending these were consensual affairs that were sinful but not abusive.
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Naim and his overly anxious single mom (Mia Wasikowska) attend rote church services in which the pastor looks to exorcise the LGBTQ+ from sinful boys who like boys and girls who like girls.
Adjective
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Yamal was a thorn in Saudi Arabia’s side, drifting infield to unleash shots from distance but also peppering the penalty area with wicked deliveries from the right flank.
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Has Sugar’s inherent decency become something of a moral palate cleanser for Oz’s wicked ways?
Adjective
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This vicious machine chewed him up and spit him out in predictable fashion.
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The mood changed a bit when Tab Ramos took a vicious elbow to the side of his head and fractured his skull.
Adjective
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Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment.
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That person is referring to heavyweight Josh Hokit, who is facing widespread backlash for making a vile joke about former first lady Michelle Obama after winning his match over Derrick Lewis.
Adjective
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That if you were deemed, as an enslaved person, if you were deemed troublesome or in some way unwanted, you would literally be sold down the river from the more northern states to the deeper south where you would potentially be treated even worse.
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Offer Real Value, Not Leftovers Most product bundles fail not because the idea is bad but because the execution misses what consumers actually want.
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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