ethical

ETH-i-kuhl/ˈɛθɪkəl/

5 meanings of ethical

1
adjective
Morally good and accepted by most people as the right way to act.
Like doing the right thing even when no one is watching you.
Returning the lost wallet was the ethical thing to do.
Many people felt that her choice was ethical and fair.
Similarmoral, principled, honorable, decent, upright
Oppositeunethical, immoral, unprincipled, dishonorable
Note
2
adjective
About the rules of right and wrong that a group or a job expects people to follow.
Like the rules of a game that every player agrees to follow.
Doctors must follow strict ethical rules while treating patients.
The company has an ethical code that every worker agrees to obey.
Similarmoral
Note
3
adjective
About the part of philosophy that studies right and wrong.
Like a science, but instead of studying stars or plants, it studies right and wrong.
The class discussed ethical questions like what makes an action right.
We read an ethical theory that tried to explain how to judge good and bad.
Similarmoral
Note
4
adjective
Sold only when a doctor writes an order for it.
Like something kept behind the counter that only a doctor can let you take home.
You cannot buy ethical medicines without a doctor's note.
These ethical drugs require a prescription from your doctor.
Oppositeover-the-counter, nonprescription
Note
5
nouncountable
A medicine you can get only with a doctor's prescription.
Like a special item in a store that only a doctor can let you buy.
Her insurance covered the ethical but not the cheaper over-the-counter version.
The drugstore stocks everyday painkillers and several ethicals behind the counter.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of ethical apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from 'ethic' plus '-al'. This goes back through Late Latin to an Ancient Greek word meaning 'moral', from a word for 'character' or 'moral nature'.