Standard Lemma guide

immoral

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈmɒɹəl/
  • General-American: /ɪˈmɔɹəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒɹəl
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M AO1 R AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Breaching principles of natural law, rectitude, or justice, and so inconsistent with the demands of virtue, purity, or "good morals"; not right, not moral. (Compare unethical, illegal.)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: moral, pure, righteous

2

adjective

Meaning 2

deliberately violating accepted principles of right and wrong

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: moral

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

not adhering to ethical or moral principles

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • base and unpatriotic motives
  • a base, degrading way of life
  • cheating is dishonorable
  • they considered colonialism immoral
  • unethical practices in handling public funds

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: base

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin im- English im- Proto-Indo-European *meh1-der. Proto-Italic *mōs Latin mōs Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin mōrālis Old French moralbor. Middle English moral English moral English immoral From im- + moral.

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անբարոյական (anbaroyakan) — not moral
  • Azerbaijani: əxlaqsız — not moral
  • Belarusian: амара́льны (amarálʹny) — not moral
  • Bulgarian: неморален (nemoralen) — not moral
  • Catalan: immoral — not moral
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不道德 (bùdàodé) — not moral
  • Corsican: immurale — not moral
  • Corsican: immurali — not moral
  • Corsican: immorale — not moral
  • Czech: nemorální — not moral
  • Finnish: moraaliton — not moral
  • Finnish: siveetön — not moral
  • French: immoral — not moral
  • Galician: inmoral — not moral
  • German: unmoralisch — not moral
  • German: sittenwidrig — not moral
  • German: verwerflich — not moral
  • Greek: ανήθικος (aníthikos) — not moral
  • Hindi: अनैतिक (anaitik) — not moral
  • Hindi: व्यभिचारी (vyabhicārī) — not moral
  • Hungarian: erkölcstelen — not moral
  • Indonesian: asusila — not moral
  • Indonesian: nirakhlak — not moral
  • Indonesian: tak berakhlak — not moral
  • Indonesian: tak bermoral — not moral
  • Irish: mímhorálta — not moral
  • Italian: immorale — not moral
  • Italian: scorretto — not moral
  • Japanese: 不道徳な (fudōtoku na) — not moral
  • Korean: 부도덕(不道德)하다 (budodeokhada) — not moral
  • Korean: 비도덕적 (bidodeokjeok) — not moral
  • Latin: improbus — not moral
  • Macedonian: немо́рален (nemóralen) — not moral
  • Malayalam: അധാർമിക (adhāṟmika) — not moral
  • Māori: karihika — not moral
  • Māori: makihuhunu — not moral
  • Meru: mwiiya — not moral
  • Khiamniungan Naga: yânglàikēi — not moral
  • Norwegian Bokmål: umoralsk — not moral
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: umoralsk — not moral
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: usedug — not moral
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: usedeleg — not moral
  • Piedmontese: imoral — not moral
  • Plautdietsch: onmoralisch — not moral
  • Polish: niemoralny — not moral
  • Portuguese: imoral — not moral
  • Romanian: imoral — not moral
  • Russian: амора́льный (amorálʹnyj) — not moral
  • Russian: безнра́вственный (beznrávstvennyj) — not moral
  • Scots: roch — not moral
  • Scottish Gaelic: droch-bheusach — not moral
  • Spanish: inmoral — not moral
  • Swahili: fasiki — not moral
  • Swedish: omoralisk — not moral
  • Ottoman Turkish: صویسز (soysuz) — not moral
  • Ukrainian: амора́льний (amorálʹnyj) — not moral
  • Vietnamese: vô đạo đức — not moral
  • Yiddish: אוממאָראַליש (ummoralish) — not moral
Real reading context

immoral in complete knowledge articles