UNPRINCIPLED Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

unprincipled

adjective

ˌən-ˈprin(t)-s(ə-)pəld

Definition of unprincipled

as in immoral

not guided by or showing a concern for what is right an unprincipled businessman who made a lot of money—and didn't care how he did it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 unprincipled In every era a certain kind of unprincipled demagogue driven by an insatiable need for attention and a sense of what will capture the public’s imagination rises to the fore. — Mark Lilla, The New York Review of Books, 5 Mar. 2026 In the past, that’s opened small businesses to frivolous lawsuits filed by unprincipled lawyers that file massive lawsuits and offer quick settlements. — Erica Goldstein, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025 Rule by ‘ambitious, and unprincipled men’ Partisanship is the primary problem for the American republic, according to Washington. — Robert A. Strong, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025 Yet Aster casts their motives as unprincipled and self-serving. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unprincipled

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unprincipled

Adjective

He was branded a heretic, in part for preaching that the nobility were immoral and so was nobility itself.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026
Heilbrun was speaking to his evaluation of Clancy’s case and her understanding of what is immoral.

— NBC News, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of immoral

Adjective

Once the ruthless commander of Bosnian Serb forces, Mladic oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, mass killings and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that left more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys dead.

— Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter, like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruthless

Adjective

The stark truth is that unscrupulous athletic departments, sports agents, and conferences will slow roll and stonewall following the rules.

— U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
Haroon said early examples were often crude, produced cheaply by struggling artists working for unscrupulous dealers.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of unscrupulous

Adjective

And Alice’s superior, FBI agent Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), realizes that her corrupt boss Ed George (Danny McCarthy), who was covering up Easton’s crimes, will retain his ASAC position at the FBI.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
That strategy allowed the Kremlin to publicly deny the existence of political repression while portraying the opposition as inherently corrupt.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of corrupt

Browse Nearby Words

unpretty

unprincipled

unprintable

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Unprincipled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unprincipled. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of unprincipled

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes