ethics

noun

Simple meaning

Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ehthiks

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɛθɪks

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

philosophy
Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
philosophy
The study of principles relating to right and wrong conduct.
The standards that govern the conduct of a person, especially a member of a profession.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong

Used this way, ethics is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It turns up most in academic writing contexts.

Emotional tone: Slightly negative
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Moderate
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Critical or judgemental
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Where it naturally appears

Academic writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use ethics

“The company has strong ethics and always tries to do the right thing.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Motivation / study

virtue ethicschristian ethics

Standards

professional ethics

Philosophical

legal ethics

Other combinations

business ethicsethics committeesocial ethicsresearch ethics

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

ethicaladjectiveDerived adjective
Related to Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong.
ethicallyadverbDerived adverb
In an ethical manner.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

ethics committeenounCompound term
A committee appointed to consider ethical issues.
ethics panelnounCompound term
A committee appointed to consider ethical issues.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

moralsnoun
moraladjective
moralitynoun

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What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Related Learning

Guides that use this word in context.

Word Differences
Principal vs. Principle: Person, Sum or Rule?
Principal is usually a person, a sum of money or “main.” Principle is always a rule or belief. Here’s how to keep them apart.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.