as in immoral
not guided by or showing a concern for what is right
an unprincipled businessman who made a lot of money—and didn't care how he did it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unprincipled
And if an unprincipled president began his tenure by firing senior military officers for partisan political reasons, the military would lose trust in the executive branch and tensions would grow between the two sides.
—
Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2024
Cazale excelled, instead, at playing people who are weak, weird, unprincipled, and visibly uncomfortable in their own skins.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
This is not a way of saying that many salespeople are unprincipled professionals.
—Randy Illig, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
There are investigators that would do unethical, unprincipled things.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for unprincipled
Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 13 Sep. 2024
Cazale excelled, instead, at playing people who are weak, weird, unprincipled, and visibly uncomfortable in their own skins.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
This is not a way of saying that many salespeople are unprincipled professionals.
—Randy Illig, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
There are investigators that would do unethical, unprincipled things.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for unprincipled
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unprincipled
Adjective
-
The Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910, is a federal law that prohibits the interstate or foreign transportation of individuals for prostitution or other immoral activities.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
-
Swaggart, in July 1986, had accused a megachurch rival, New Orleans First Assembly of God Pastor Marvin Gorman, of committing immoral acts with a number of women over a period of years.—
Frank E. Lockwood,
Arkansas Online,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
As a member of a crew that robs banks, Mr. Blonde is the most ruthless.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
-
President Donald Trump has mounted a ruthless onslaught on the checks and balances established in the Constitution.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump used a term regarded as an antisemitic slur when referring to unscrupulous bankers during a speech on Thursday.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
-
The Essex picks up the family’s mayday signal, and while Martin — gradually revealed to be the usual unscrupulous corporate creep — insists on sticking to their extraction mission, not getting sidetracked with search and rescue, he’s overruled by the others.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
Rachel and Ray need to go on the run after Ray’s investigation into a corrupt pharmaceutical executive puts their live in peril.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
-
And then reality crashes down around them in a series of scenes that expose the cruel hypocrisy of Iran’s corrupt system (which purports to uphold morality, but allows men in positions of authority to indulge themselves in egregious ways).—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unprincipled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unprincipled. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share