as in immoral
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
an unscrupulous businessman manipulated them into selling their land for practically nothing
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Recent Examples of unscrupulous
No stranger to portraying morally complex men, including Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and controversial Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara, Del Toro wasn’t scared of playing an unscrupulous businessman who’d built his fortune on exploitation.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
The bankruptcy proceedings, filed in March, had drawn scrutiny from lawmakers who warned that millions of customers’ genetic data could be sold to unscrupulous buyers.
—CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Filho’s movie operates at the pace and tenor of a drama in exile, albeit one that’s fringed with B-movie fun and stalked by a pair of unscrupulous hitmen.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
The bankruptcy proceedings, filed in March, had drawn scrutiny from lawmakers who warned that millions of customers’ genetic data could be sold to unscrupulous buyers.
—CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Filho’s movie operates at the pace and tenor of a drama in exile, albeit one that’s fringed with B-movie fun and stalked by a pair of unscrupulous hitmen.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unscrupulous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unscrupulous
Adjective
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Researchers also noted the chatbot engaging in other potentially disturbing—though not necessarily immoral—behavior.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
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Suggesting that being out of work is immoral, as opposed to the conditions that contribute to people’s ability to work and live, might be a more appropriate source of anxiety.—
Lauren Coulman,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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As with everything Banksy, siting and context are chief among the avenues of investigation into the man’s intent and into his his hilariously ruthless nocturnal execution of his art.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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The ruthless, physical Panthers will get a strong Oilers squad, with Ekholm back on the back end, Skinner emphatically taking back his net from Calvin Pickard, and both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on top of their games.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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In fact, Evans’ plotline as the corrupt Reverend Drew essentially runs parallel to Qualley’s and the lack of intersection is a curious oversight.—
Esther Zuckerman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
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In a later scene, Lamia narrowly escapes the claws of a similarly corrupt and ill-intentioned predator, using her wits and sharpened intuition.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The notorious Sackler family, opioid pushers responsible for countless cases of addiction and death, can’t seem to settle their legal problems without turning to some kind of unprincipled maneuver.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
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Objective voters who watched the recent documentary about Lev Parnas, once a Trump ally, should fear a redux of a Cabinet running the government for an angry, unhinged, unprincipled man.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Perhaps not a radically different phase — plenty of anxiety and doubt remains in the wake of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA’s fight with studios and streamers to win protections against unethical uses of artificial intelligence.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
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But there’s nothing unethical about compensating people for the time, recovery and sacrifice required to save a life.—
Lindsay Gutierrez,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unscrupulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unscrupulous. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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