# ethical

Pronunciation: say "ETH-i-kuhl" /ˈɛθɪkəl/

## Adjective

1. Considered morally good or acceptable; in keeping with what is right.
   - Simple: Morally good and accepted by most people as the right way to act.
   - _Donating part of his profits to local shelters struck everyone as a deeply ethical decision._
   - _She built her reputation on ethical treatment of employees and honest dealings with customers._
2. Having to do with the accepted rules of right and wrong, especially those that a particular profession or organization sets for its members.
   - Simple: About the rules of right and wrong that a group or a job expects people to follow.
   - _The lawyer faced an ethical review board after breaking client confidentiality._
   - _Journalists are bound by ethical standards that govern how they gather and report information._
3. Relating to ethics, the branch of philosophy that studies right and wrong and how moral choices can be justified.
   - Simple: About the part of philosophy that studies right and wrong.
   - _Her dissertation explored ethical frameworks ranging from Aristotle to Kant._
   - _The seminar compared ethical theories built on duty with those built on consequences._
4. Available only when prescribed by a physician.
   - Simple: Sold only when a doctor writes an order for it.
   - _The manufacturer markets both over-the-counter remedies and ethical preparations._
   - _Pharmacists dispense ethical medications only against a valid prescription._

## Noun

5. A drug dispensed only on a physician's prescription.
   - Simple: A medicine you can get only with a doctor's prescription.
   - _Each ethical on the shelf required a signed prescription before release._
   - _The company's catalog listed dozens of ethicals alongside its consumer brands._

## Origin

Formed from 'ethic' plus the suffix '-al', from Late Latin ethicus ('moral, ethical'), from Ancient Greek ēthikós ('of or for morals, expressing character'), which comes from êthos ('character, moral nature').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ethical (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).