unethical

Unethical is an adjective used to describe actions, decisions, or policies that violate recognized moral principles, professional codes of conduct, or other established norms of behavior. The term carries normative judgment and implies disapproval, rather than simply describing what is legal or factual. Its formation comes from ethical, which derives from the Greek ethos, with the negating prefix un- to indicate the opposite of what is considered proper.

In practice, judgments of what is unethical are defined by context, culture, and institutions. Professional fields such as medicine, journalism, research, law, and business maintain codes of ethics that specify duties to patients, readers, subjects, clients, and the public. Examples commonly labeled unethical include deception or manipulation, conflicts of interest, bribery, exploitation, plagiarism, and withholding information that others reasonably rely on. Because ethics codes vary, something deemed unethical in one organization or country may be tolerated or regulated differently elsewhere.

Unethical conduct is not the same as illegal conduct, though overlap exists. An act can be illegal yet unethical, or ethical yet illegal in rare cases. Conversely, something can be legal but considered unethical by a community or profession. The consequences of unethical behavior can include disciplinary actions, loss of professional licenses, civil liability, damage to reputation, and diminished trust.