imoral

Imoral is an English adjective that has been used to mean not conforming to moral principles. In contemporary English, the standard form is immoral, and imoral is generally regarded as a nonstandard, archaic, or incorrect spelling rather than a distinct term.

Origin and form: The word derives from Latin immoralis, formed from in- plus moral. In English, the prefix before a word starting with m often becomes im-, and the common modern spelling settled on immor-al with a double m. In older texts, imoral occasionally appeared, but later editors and dictionaries increasingly favor immoral.

Usage and nuance: Immoral describes actions or beliefs judged as morally wrong according to prevailing norms. Imoral, when encountered today, typically signals an older source, a dialectal variant, or a misspelling rather than a recognized modern usage.

Relation to amoral: Amoral is a separate term meaning lacking a sense of morality, or not involving moral judgments, rather than being morally wrong. It is not a synonym for immoral.

Examples: It is immoral to steal. If you see imoral in a text, consider it an archaic or mistaken spelling rather than a current standard usage, and prefer immoral in normal writing.

See also: Immorality, Amoral, Morality.

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