ethical

English

Etymology

From ethic + -al, from Late Latin ethicus (“moral, ethical”), from Ancient Greek ἠθικός (ēthikos, “of or for morals, moral, expressing character”), from ἦθος (ēthos, “character, moral nature”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

ethical (comparative more ethical, superlative most ethical)

1. (philosophy, not comparable) Of or relating to the study of ethics.

   The philosopher Kant is particularly known for his ethical writings.

2. (not comparable) Of or relating to the accepted principles of right and wrong, especially those of some organization or profession.

   All employees must familiarize themselves with our ethical guidelines.

3. (comparable) Morally approvable, when referring to an action that affects others; good.

   We are trying to decide what the most ethical course of action would be.

4. (of a drug, not comparable) Only dispensed on the prescription of a physician.

   In most jurisdictions, morphine is classified as an ethical drug.

Usage notes

• In general usage ethical is used to describe standards of behavior between individuals, while moral or immoral can describe any behavior. You can call lying unethical or immoral, for example, because it involves the behavior of one person and how it affects another, but violating dietary prohibitions in a holy text can only be described as immoral.

Derived terms

• ethical investment
• ethical system
• meta-ethical
• (morally approvable): unethical

Related terms

• ethic
• ethics
• ethos

Translations

of or relating to the study of ethics

• Afrikaans: etiek
• Catalan: ètic
• Czech: etický m
• German: ethisch (de)
• Greek: ηθικός (el) (ithikós)
• Irish: eiticiúil

• Latvian: ētisks
• Romanian: etic (ro)
• Russian: этический (ru) (etíčeskij)
• Spanish: ético (es)
• Turkish: etik (tr), töre bilimsel

of or relating to the accepted principles of right and wrong, especially those of some organization or profession

• Latvian: ētisks
• Russian: этический (ru) (etíčeskij)

• Spanish: ético (es)
• Turkish: etik (tr)

morally approvable, when referring to an action that affects others; good

• Catalan: ètic
• Latvian: ētisks

• Russian: этичный (ru) (etíčnyj)
• Spanish: ético (es)

only dispensed on the prescription of a physician

See also

• ethical dative

Noun

ethical (plural ethicals)

1. An ethical drug.

External links

• ethical in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• ethical in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• ethical at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• alethic