unethical

adjective

un·​eth·​i·​cal ˌən-ˈe-thi-kəl How to pronounce unethical (audio)
Synonyms of unethical
: not conforming to a high moral standard : morally wrong : not ethical
illegal and unethical business practices
immoral and unethical behavior
unethically
ˌən-ˈe-thi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce unethical (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of unethical

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of unethical in a Sentence

unethical treatment of prisoners of war that was a clear violation of international law an unethical attorney, he had no qualms about getting off clients who he knew were guilty
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
By using iron and phosphate instead of nickel and cobalt, the LFP batteries solve several issues associated with the battery industry, such as high cost, unethical sourcing, and supply chain bottlenecks. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026 Sanft characterized Kading as an unethical former cop who purloined a recording of the confidential proffer for profit. — John L. Smith, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026 Scientific and medical experts have largely dismissed this attack, noting that such trials are unnecessary, in many cases unethical, and in some cases the claim is just false. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026 People are doing backyard breeding, unethical breeding, abandoning their pets, surrendering their pets at alarming rates and they're getting euthanized at alarming rates all across our nation, in shelters just because of space. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unethical

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unethical was in 1871

Rhymes for unethical

See All Rhymes for unethical

Browse Nearby Words

unestimable
unethical
unetymological
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unethical. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All