ethical

adjective

ˈe-thi-kəl How to pronounce ethical (audio)
Definition of ethicalnext
1
as in honorable
conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue the ethical behavior expected of every member of the police force

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in honest
following the accepted rules of moral conduct the ethical course of action for the senator who lied to Congress would be to resign

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in moral
guided by or in accordance with one's sense of right and wrong ethical writers do not use the words of other writers without giving them proper credit

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective ethical differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ethical are moral, noble, righteous, and virtuous. While all these words mean "conforming to a standard of what is right and good," ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity.

committed to the highest ethical principles

When is moral a more appropriate choice than ethical?

The meanings of moral and ethical largely overlap; however, moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong.

the basic moral values of a community

When would noble be a good substitute for ethical?

Although the words noble and ethical have much in common, noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character.

had the noblest of reasons for seeking office

When is it sensible to use righteous instead of ethical?

The words righteous and ethical are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious.

wished to be righteous before God and the world

When might virtuous be a better fit than ethical?

While the synonyms virtuous and ethical are close in meaning, virtuous implies moral excellence in character.

not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless

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 ethical For his main topic of the evening, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver delved into ICE detention centers, exploring the various ethical and legal issues revolving around detaining undocumented immigrants for uncertain periods of time. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025 Yet there are ongoing questions, including risks that pig organs will transmit viruses to people, and a number of ethical concerns. — Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025 States have struggled to legally obtain the drugs used to carry out lethal injections in recent years because of ethical objections to capital punishment. — Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 7 Mar. 2025 As audiences continue to grow, the demand for authentic and ethical content has never been more important. — Katcy Stephan, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ethical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ethical
  1. honorable
  2. honest
  3. moral
  4. true
  5. respectable
  6. conscientious
  7. nice
  8. good
Adjective
  • After his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, Quang enjoyed a successful pharmaceutical sales stint as a top producer for Astra/Merck and then Genentech.
    — Quang X. Pham, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The outgoing Chairman, Gen. Charles 'CQ' Brown, Jr., USAF, has served with distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service.
    — Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025
Definition of honorable
Adjective
  • Olivia Culpo is getting honest about what happened during the first trimester of her pregnancy.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Encourage candidates to ask questions and provide honest answers.
    — Rebecca Skilbeck, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of honest
Adjective
  • Both historical examples—and the Exclusion Zone in the film—highlight a recurring moral failure: societies that choose fear over empathy, control over coexistence.
    — Tony Bradley, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The wilderness group has made a lot of moral sacrifices in the name of survival, so the only one who seems to be sensitive to Ben’s suffering is Natalie.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of moral
Adjective
  • Because true wealth isn’t just accumulated—it’s activated.
    — Tim Maurer, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The 50 Best Beach Towns In The South 2025 How Gulf Shores Became Our Home Which was true.
    — Fannie Flagg, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of true
Adjective
  • Collecting old art was posh and respectable, but in an America still scandalized by the sight of breasts, collecting modern art was outrageous.
    — Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The ThinkCentre's display isn't the brightest but matches the IdeaCentre in color coverage, with respectable results for Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 despite not being designed for creative-focused tasks.
    — PCMAG, PCMAG, 4 Mar. 2025
Definition of respectable
Adjective
  • The conscientious ones showed their value through results.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • In Texas, parents must get an affidavit notarized to have a valid conscientious exemption for their child.
    — Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of conscientious
Adjective
  • Suede bags are still everywhere and a nice commercial proposal adapted to many trends.
    — Sandra Salibian, WWD, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The sound quality is crisp and full-bodied, with a nice bass punch, and the Immersive Audio feature adds a fun, spatial touch to your listening.
    — Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of nice
Adjective
  • The ‘90s was good to the magazine industry for the most part.
    — Rachel Burchfield, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Dior Forever Skin Perfect Foundation Stick, $52 Ahead, find the nine medium-coverage foundations that have a permanent place in makeup artists’ kits (and in Allure editors’ hearts) and prepare to put your best face forward.
    — Jenny Berg, Allure, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of good

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Cite this Entry

“Ethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ethical. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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