Words / B2

ETH-ikl/ˈeθɪkl/

Ethical means to do with right and wrong, or morally acceptable: ethical issues; ethical investment. Ethics is the noun (next). Moral is close; legal is about the law — something can be legal but unethical. Unethical is the opposite. Do not use ethical as a marketing sticker without criteria. Research: ethical approval.

Meaning

Connected with beliefs about right and wrong; also morally acceptable.

Examples

• “The committee raised ethical questions about the trial’s consent forms.”
• “The committee raised ethical questions about consent.”
• “Ethical investment funds still need scrutiny, which is why the essay defined the term.”

Good to know

ethical issues / approval / investment. Noun: ethics. Close: moral. Contrast: legal. Opposite: unethical. Research ethics boards.

Near in meaning

moral

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