ethical
adjective
eth·i·cal
ˈe-thi-kəl 
variants
or less commonly ethic
1
: of or relating to ethics
ethical theories
2
: involving or expressing moral approval or disapproval
ethical judgments
3
: conforming to accepted standards of conduct
ethical behavior
4
of a drug
: restricted to sale only on a doctor's prescription
Examples of ethical in a Sentence
Some doctors feel that this procedure is not medically ethical.
the ethical behavior expected of every member of the police force
Recent Examples on the Web
However, this proposal raises profound legal, ethical, and economic questions, illustrated sharply by recent high-profile cases involving companies like Meta and recent lawsuits by French publishers.
—
Virginie Berger, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Forbes reporters follow company ethical guidelines that ensure the highest quality.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Beyond prompt engineering, AI trainers and auditors are in demand to improve machine learning models and ensure ethical compliance.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Our conversation touched on the biggest obstacles to maximizing AI’s return on investment (ROI), the importance of governance and ethical AI, and how CFOs can use AI to enhance—not replace—human judgment.
—Jack McCullough, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethical
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Virginie Berger, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Forbes reporters follow company ethical guidelines that ensure the highest quality.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Beyond prompt engineering, AI trainers and auditors are in demand to improve machine learning models and ensure ethical compliance.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Our conversation touched on the biggest obstacles to maximizing AI’s return on investment (ROI), the importance of governance and ethical AI, and how CFOs can use AI to enhance—not replace—human judgment.
—Jack McCullough, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethical
Cite this Entry
“Ethical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethical. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ethical
adjective
eth·i·cal
ˈeth-i-kəl
1
: of or relating to ethics
2
a
: following accepted rules of conduct
b
: following professional standards of conduct
3
: sold only on a doctor's prescription
ethical drugs
Medical Definition
ethical
1 of 2 adjective
eth·i·cal
ˈeth-i-kəl
variants
also ethic
1
: conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct
2
of a drug
: restricted to sale only on a doctor's prescription
ethical
2 of 2 noun
: an ethical drug
Legal Definition
ethical
adjective
eth·i·cal
ˈe-thi-kəl
1
: of or relating to ethics
2
: conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct
ethically
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share