adjective
ethical
Relating to principles of right conduct or following those principles.
The hospital follows strict ethical guidelines when testing new treatments.
Etymology
The Greek adjective concerns character and conduct. Ethical applies it to principles governing right behavior and to actions judged to follow those principles.
More examples
- Returning the extra change is the ethical choice.
- Students discuss the ethical questions raised by animal testing.
- An ethical employer pays workers fairly and treats them with respect.
Forms
ethical
ethically adverb — In a way consistent with moral principles.
ethics noun — Principles that guide judgments of right conduct.
Similar words
- moral
- Often emphasizes personal beliefs about right and wrong.
- principled
- Emphasizes consistently following firmly held standards of right conduct.