noun
Meaning 1
Morality.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
- Her decision was guided by her strong personal ethics.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
ethics
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɛθ.ɪks/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Texas: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australian: /ˈeθ.ɪks/
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CMU ARPABET: EH1 TH IH0 K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
The standards that govern the conduct of a person, especially a member of a profession.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
- The professor teaches a course on business ethics.
- Medical ethics require doctors to prioritize patient welfare.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
The study of principles relating to right and wrong conduct.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: deontology, moral philosophy
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
plural of ethic
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, plural
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
the philosophical study of moral values and rules
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: moral philosophy
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: philosophy
Narrower terms: bioethics, casuistry, eudemonism, endaemonism, hedonism
noun
Meaning 6
motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ethical motive, morals, morality
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: motivation, motive, need
Narrower terms: hedonism, conscience, scruples, moral sense, sense of right and wrong, Inner Light, Light, Light Within, Christ Within
History
Etymology
From Middle English etik, from Middle French ethique, from Late Latin ethica, from Ancient Greek ἠθική (ēthikḗ), from ἠθικός (ēthikós, “of or for morals, moral, expressing character”), from ἦθος (êthos, “character, moral nature”).
Across languages
Translations
120 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: eties — standards of conduct
- Arabic: أَخْلَاق (ʔaḵlāq) — standards of conduct
- Arabic: أَدَب (ʔadab) — standards of conduct
- Armenian: էթիկա (ētʻika) — standards of conduct
- Azerbaijani: etika — standards of conduct
- Belarusian: э́тыка (étyka) — standards of conduct
- Bengali: আখলাক (akholak) — standards of conduct
- Bulgarian: е́тика (étika) — standards of conduct
- Catalan: ètica — standards of conduct
- Chinese Cantonese: 倫理 /伦理 (leon4 lei5) — standards of conduct
- Chinese: 倫理 /伦理 (lûn-lí) — standards of conduct
- Chinese Mandarin: 倫理 /伦理 (lúnlǐ) — standards of conduct
- Chinese Mandarin: 道德 (dàodé) — standards of conduct
- Czech: etika — standards of conduct
- Dutch: zedenkunde — standards of conduct
- Dutch: ethiek — standards of conduct
- Esperanto: etiko — standards of conduct
- Finnish: etiikka — standards of conduct
- Finnish: moraali — standards of conduct
- French: éthique — standards of conduct
- Galician: ética — standards of conduct
- German: Verhaltenskodex — standards of conduct
- German: Ethik — standards of conduct
- Hebrew: אֶתִיקָה — standards of conduct
- Hindi: आचार (ācār) — standards of conduct
- Hindi: आचरण (ācraṇ) — standards of conduct
- Irish: eitic — standards of conduct
- Italian: etica — standards of conduct
- Japanese: 倫理 (rinri) — standards of conduct
- Khmer: សីលធម៌ (səylaʼthɔə) — standards of conduct
- Korean: 윤리 (yulli) — standards of conduct
- Korean: 륜리 (ryulli) — standards of conduct
- Latvian: ētika — standards of conduct
- Macedonian: етика (etika) — standards of conduct
- Māori: matatika — standards of conduct
- Māori: tikanga matatika — standards of conduct
- Norwegian Bokmål: etikk — standards of conduct
- Norwegian Nynorsk: etikk — standards of conduct
- Persian: اخلاق (axlâq) — standards of conduct
- Persian: ادب (adab) — standards of conduct
- Portuguese: ética — standards of conduct
- Russian: э́тика (étika) — standards of conduct
- Serbo-Croatian: ѐтика — standards of conduct
- Serbo-Croatian: ètika — standards of conduct
- Slovak: etika — standards of conduct
- Spanish: ética — standards of conduct
- Swedish: etik — standards of conduct
- Tagalog: kaasalan — standards of conduct
- Tagalog: asalan — standards of conduct
- Tajik: одоб (odob) — standards of conduct
- Turkish: ahlak — standards of conduct
- Ukrainian: е́тика (étyka) — standards of conduct
- Vietnamese: luân lý — standards of conduct
- Afrikaans: etiek — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Arabic: عِلْم الْأَخْلَاق (ʕilm al-ʔaḵlāq) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Armenian: բարոյագիտություն (baroyagitutʻyun) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Azerbaijani: etika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Belarusian: э́тыка (étyka) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Bengali: আখলাক (akholak) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Bengali: নৈতিকতা (nōitikota) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Bulgarian: е́тика (étika) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Catalan: ètica — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Chinese Cantonese: 倫理學 /伦理学 (leon4 lei5 hok6) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Chinese Mandarin: 倫理學 /伦理学 (lúnlǐxué) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Czech: etika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Danish: etik — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Dutch: zedenkunde — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Dutch: ethiek — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Estonian: eetika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Faroese: siðalæra — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Faroese: siðafrøði — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Finnish: etiikka — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- French: éthique — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Galician: ética — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Georgian: ეთიკა (etiḳa) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- German: Ethik — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Greek: ηθική (ithikí) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Hindi: आचारशास्त्र (ācārśāstra) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Hungarian: etika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Hungarian: erkölcstan — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Indonesian: etika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Irish: eitic — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Italian: etica — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Japanese: 倫理学 (rinrigaku) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Kazakh: этика (étika) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Khmer: សីលវិជ្ជា (səl vɨcciə) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Korean: 윤리학 (yullihak) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Korean: 륜리학 (ryullihak) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Latvian: ētika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Macedonian: етика (etika) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Malay: etika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Māori: matatika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Mongolian: этик (etik) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Norwegian Bokmål: etikk — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Norwegian Nynorsk: etikk — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Persian: فلسفه اخلاق (falsafe-ye axlâq) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Persian: علم اخلاق ('elm-e axlâq) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Persian: اصول اخلاق (osul-e axlâq) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Polish: etyka — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Portuguese: ética — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Russian: э́тика (étika) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Serbo-Croatian: ѐтика — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Serbo-Croatian: ètika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Slovak: etika — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Spanish: ética — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Swedish: etik — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Swedish: sedelära — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Tagalog: palaasalan — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Tagalog: dalub-asalan — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Tagalog: dalubasalan — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Tagalog: asalan — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Tajik: илми ахлоқ (ilm-i axloq) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Tajik: одоб (odob) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Thai: จริยธรรม (jà-rí-yá-tam) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Thai: จริยศาสตร์ (jà-rí-yá-sàat) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Turkish: etik — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Ukrainian: е́тика (étyka) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Vietnamese: luân lý học — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Vietnamese: đạo đức học — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
- Yiddish: עטיק (etik) — study of principles governing right and wrong conduct
Real reading context