1
as in honorable
conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue
the ethical behavior expected of every member of the police force
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ethical
Last year, the government issued its first ethical guidelines for research in this area.
—
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
The battle for ethical government in the 1970s was waged by Gov. Reubin Askew.
—Lonnie Groot, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 July 2025
When one of the dead unexpectedly revives, the community fractures, and the Witches assistant becomes their greatest enemy, unleashing an ethical and emotional struggle were accepting death or defying it will change their lives forever.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 July 2025
Then, after learning about the dark reality of animal agriculture, and its devastating environmental impact, my choice was cemented for my personal health but also ethical and moral compass.
—Brianna J. Heath, Essence, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethical
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
The battle for ethical government in the 1970s was waged by Gov. Reubin Askew.
—Lonnie Groot, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 July 2025
When one of the dead unexpectedly revives, the community fractures, and the Witches assistant becomes their greatest enemy, unleashing an ethical and emotional struggle were accepting death or defying it will change their lives forever.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 July 2025
Then, after learning about the dark reality of animal agriculture, and its devastating environmental impact, my choice was cemented for my personal health but also ethical and moral compass.
—Brianna J. Heath, Essence, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ethical
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
Adjective
-
Be honest about systems that are no longer serving their purpose.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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The production noted how the work has continued to resonate with readers over the past decade, for its honest depiction of trauma recovery and the power of self-empowerment and love.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Human decision making includes context, experience and moral reasoning.—
Haider Ali,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
This gap is a moral issue and a missed opportunity.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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This was certainly true of the Mets last summer when Taylor played his way into the lineup more consistently than Harrison Bader.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
26 July 2025
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This rings especially true for me, a vegetarian for nearly two decades.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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Reeling from scandals in the 1870s, baseball’s owners consciously sought to make the sport respectable by broadening its upper- and middle-class fan-base.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
23 July 2025
-
Despite that streak ending, Swag had a more than respectable opening, debuting with 163,000 overall units on 198.77 million streams, per Billboard.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
20 July 2025
Adjective
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New hires can't learn by example because there's no one to watch, and conscientious peers can't see when newcomers are struggling.—
David Meade,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Each one should be the result of a deliberate, conscientious decision by the only person elected to make it.—
Sreedhar Potarazu,
Baltimore Sun,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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And, the embroidery on the pillowcases adds a nice touch.—
Shalwah Evans,
People.com,
14 July 2025
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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
Adjective
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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
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But that wasn’t enough for a gambler who watched him best Paul Skenes.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ethical. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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