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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Cheering for such idealism used to feel corny; all the cool, caped crusaders had ethical kinks. —Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025 Around the globe, museums—including the Smithsonian—are working to develop policies surrounding the ethical treatment of human remains. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 July 2025 Participants will be taught basic angling skills, including casting, knot-tying and fish identification as well as ethical angling practices, forest preserve district news release said. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025 Invest in educator training that moves beyond basic tool familiarity to pedagogical integration and ethical considerations. —Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 27 June 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
  • Our leadership spends its time implying anyone with origins south of our border is less than honorable and must be deported regardless of their contributions, just to feel powerful.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2025
  • Michael Roth, the president of Wesleyan University in Connecticut, has taken the harder and more honorable route.
    — John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025
Definition of honorable
Adjective
  • Be honest about systems that are no longer serving their purpose.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • Renegade Paws Rescue's honest assessment of Igor's personality garnered the attention of thousands of animal lovers, who shared the post over 35,000 times.
    — Moná Thomas, People.com, 14 July 2025
Definition of honest
Adjective
  • By embedding inclusive decision making into its core operations, companies can demonstrate that a commitment to equity is both a moral imperative and a strategic advantage in today’s competitive landscape.
    — Aniela Unguresan, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • America was headed toward the Civil War and both sides knew the manpower and land would be valuable, to say nothing of the moral implications.
    — David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Definition of moral
Adjective
  • With things that were true but couldn’t be readily seen or felt, like silence.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
  • Now, as the families prepare for next week's sentencing hearing on July 23, Patterson and Ward are hoping to give readers a true sense of the four victims.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2025
Definition of true
Adjective
  • Similarly, other open-wheel drivers like Montoya have been very respectable but not remarkable.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 11 July 2025
  • Walker’s pass rush grade of 65.5 ranked a respectable 53rd and his run defense grade of 67.7 was 82nd.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Definition of respectable
Adjective
  • The documents included emails, personal essays and other academic records, which showed Crooks to be a conscientious and intelligent college student with an interest in engineering as well as a clear skepticism of the federal government and corporations.
    — Emily Mae Czachor July 13, CBS News, 13 July 2025
  • More than 70% of participants were classified as open-minded, conscientious, and emotionally stable, suggesting the sample may not reflect the broader personality distribution in the general population, the authors noted.
    — Brian Mastroianni, Health, 9 July 2025
Definition of conscientious
Adjective
  • The units also vary in shape: the cube is nice for nightstands, while the wider grand size works well on large dressers.
    — Jamie Fischer, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2025
  • And, the embroidery on the pillowcases adds a nice touch.
    — Shalwah Evans, People.com, 14 July 2025
Definition of nice
Adjective
  • Chef-owner Miguel Angel Jimenez is well worth consulting for the night’s specials and a wine from the impressively deep good list.
    — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Heretofore, Raleigh’s best homer-hitting season was 34 in 2024.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 15 July 2025
Definition of good

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ethic
ethical
ethically
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Cite this Entry

“Ethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ethical. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

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