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Webster 1913 Edition


Ethical

{

Eth′ic

,

Eth′ic-al

, }
Adj.
[L.
ethicus
, Gr. [GREEK], fr. [GREEK] custom, usage, character, dwelling; akin to [GREEK] custom, Goth.
sidus
, G.
sitte
, Skr.
svadh[GREEK]
, prob. orig., one’s own doing;
sva
self +
dh[GREEK]
to set: cf. F.
éthique
. See
So
,
Do
.]
Of, or belonging to, morals; treating of the moral feelings or duties; containing percepts of morality; moral;
as,
ethic
discourses or epistles; an
ethical
system;
ethical
philosophy.
The
ethical
meaning of the miracles.
Trench.
Ethical dative
(Gram.)
,
a use of the dative of a pronoun to signify that the person or thing spoken of is regarded with interest by some one; as, Quid mihi Celsus agit? How does my friend Celsus do?

Definition 2024


ethical

ethical

English

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

Related terms

Translations

See also

Noun

ethical (plural ethicals)

  1. An ethical drug.

Anagrams