Ethical Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of ethical · 1 : of or relating to ethics ethical theories · 2 : involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval ethical judgments · 3 : ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut ethical adjective SaveWord eth·​i·​cal |\ˈe-thi-kəl \ variants: orlesscommonlyethic\ ˈe-​thik \ EssentialMeaningofethical 1 :involvingquestionsofrightandwrongbehavior:relatingtoethics ethical[=moral]principles/standardsethicaltheories/problems 2 :followingacceptedrulesofbehavior:morallyrightandgood Somedoctorsfeelthatthisprocedureisnotmedicallyethical.favoringtheethical[=humane]treatmentofanimals FullDefinitionofethical 1 :oforrelatingtoethics ethicaltheories 2 :involvingorexpressingmoralapprovalordisapproval ethicaljudgments 3 :conformingtoacceptedstandardsofconduct ethicalbehavior 4 ofadrug :restrictedtosaleonlyonadoctor'sprescription OtherWordsfromethical Synonyms&Antonyms ChoosetheRightSynonym MoreExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutethical OtherWordsfromethical ethicality \ ˌe-​thə-​ˈka-​lə-​tē \ noun ethically \ ˈe-​thi-​k(ə-​)lē \ adverb ethicalness \ ˈe-​thi-​kəl-​nəs \ noun Synonyms&Antonymsforethical Synonyms allright, decent, good, honest, honorable, just, moral, nice, right, right-minded, righteous, straight, true, upright, virtuous Antonyms bad, dishonest, dishonorable, evil, evil-minded, immoral, indecent, sinful, unethical, unrighteous, wicked, wrong VisittheThesaurusforMore  ChoosetheRightSynonymforethical moral,ethical,virtuous,righteous,noblemeanconformingtoastandardofwhatisrightandgood.moralimpliesconformitytoestablishedsanctionedcodesoracceptednotionsofrightandwrong. thebasicmoralvaluesofacommunity ethicalmaysuggesttheinvolvementofmoredifficultorsubtlequestionsofrightness,fairness,orequity. committedtothehighestethicalprinciples virtuousimpliesmoralexcellenceincharacter. notareligiousperson,butvirtuousnevertheless righteousstressesguiltlessnessorblamelessnessandoftensuggeststhesanctimonious. wishedtoberighteousbeforeGodandtheworld nobleimpliesmoraleminenceandfreedomfromanythingpetty,mean,ordubiousinconductandcharacter. hadthenoblestofreasonsforseekingoffice ExamplesofethicalinaSentence Somedoctorsfeelthatthisprocedureisnotmedicallyethical. theethicalbehaviorexpectedofeverymemberofthepoliceforce RecentExamplesontheWeb Shouldanembryoderivedfromstemcellsgetthesamelegalandethicalrightsasoneproducedwhenspermmetegg? — MeganMolteni,STAT,5Dec.2021 The2021surveyshowshowperceptionsoftrusthaveshiftedtoincludeethical,functional,andpersonalcomponents. — NikhilLele,Fortune,2Dec.2021 Inaddition,thereareotherdark-sidedebatesinthefieldaboutethical,legal,andmoralissuesinthedesignandimplementationofAItechnologiesforworkandsociety. — BenjaminLaker,Forbes,14Nov.2021 ThrowinthelegalandethicalquestionsabouttheplayerandthestatementonGrier’sdecisionsandRosshadnochoicebuttobethepointmanonthis. — DaveHyde,sun-sentinel.com,2Nov.2021 OurownershipandleadershipteamsarecommittedtoensuringthattheBlackhawksadheretothehighestethical,professional,andathleticstandards. — NBCNews,26Oct.2021 TheVictorianreportonTuesdayfoundthatmanyseniorexecutivesinvolvedinmisconductwereindifferenttoethical,moralandsometimeslegalobligations. — MikeCherney,WSJ,26Oct.2021 Thework,whichinvolveddiscipliningattorneyswhocommittedethicalandlegaltransgressions,wasagreatfitforZimbrakos,whooriginallywastrainedasachemistbutgrewtohaveadeepandabidinginterestinlaw,saidfriendsandfamily. — BobGoldsborough,chicagotribune.com,12Oct.2021 Moreover,evencountriesthatappearverysimilaronthesurface,suchastheU.S.andCanadaorAustralia,stillhaveplentyofcultural,ethical,andpoliticaldifferences. — EdwardGraham,TheNewRepublic,4Oct.2021 Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'ethical.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. SeeMore FirstKnownUseofethical circa1573,inthemeaningdefinedatsense1 HistoryandEtymologyforethical MiddleEnglishetik,fromLatinethicus,fromGreekēthikos,fromēthoscharacter—moreatsib LearnMoreAboutethical Shareethical PosttheDefinitionofethicaltoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofethicalonTwitter TimeTravelerforethical Thefirstknownuseofethicalwas circa1573 Seemorewordsfromthesameyear DictionaryEntriesNearethical ethic ethical ethicaldative SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsforethical LastUpdated 10Dec2021 Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Ethical.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethical.Accessed3Jan.2022. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforethical ethical adjective eth·​i·​cal |\ˈe-thi-kəl \ KidsDefinitionofethical 1 :involvingquestionsofrightandwrong:relatingtoethics ethicalissues 2 :followingacceptedrulesofbehavior Weexpectethicaltreatmentofanimals. ethical adjective eth·​i·​cal |\ˈeth-i-kəl \ variants: alsoethic\ -​ik \ Medical Definitionofethical (Entry1of2) 1 :conformingtoacceptedprofessionalstandardsofconduct 2 ofadrug :restrictedtosaleonlyonadoctor'sprescription OtherWordsfromethical ethically \ ˈeth-​i-​k(ə-​)lē \ adverb ethical noun Medical Definitionofethical (Entry2of2) :anethicaldrug ethical adjective eth·​i·​cal |\ˈe-thi-kəl \ Legal Definitionofethical 1 :oforrelatingtoethics 2 :conformingtoacceptedprofessionalstandardsofconduct OtherWordsfromethical ethically adverb MorefromMerriam-Websteronethical Nglish:TranslationofethicalforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofethicalforArabicSpeakers WORDOFTHEDAY palindrome SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! TestYourVocabulary NamethatThing:FlowerEdition Namethatflower hyacinth amaryllis chrysanthemum hydrangea Canyouspellthese10commonlymisspelledwords? TAKETHEQUIZ Adailychallengeforcrosswordfanatics. TAKETHEQUIZ SubscribetoAmerica'slargestdictionaryandgetthousandsmoredefinitionsandadvancedsearch—adfree! Merriam-Websterunabridged WordsatPlay “InVinoVeritas”andOtherLatinPhrasestoLiveBy Top10LatinPhrases PartySynonyms:WordsforFestiveGatherings Frombeanfeaststowingdings Activevs.PassiveVoice:What'sTheDifference? It’scutanddrieduntilit’snot. 8WordsfortheWordyandTalkingTooMuch Youcan'tshutthemup,butyoucanlabelthem AsktheEditors 'Everyday'vs.'EveryDay' Asimpletricktokeepthemseparate WhatIs'SemanticBleaching'? How'literally'canmean"figuratively" Literally Howtouseawordthat(literally)drivessomepe... IsSingular'They'aBetterChoice? Theawkwardcaseof'hisorher' WordGames AdvancedVocabularyQuiz Toughwordsandtoughercompetition. Takethequiz NaughtyorNice Aquizofvicesandvirtues Takethequiz SpellIt Canyouspellthese10commonlymisspelledwords? Takethequiz