ethics
ethics Lexical Profile
ethics Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Moral principles or values that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity.
"The medical board established strict ethics regarding patient confidentiality and informed consent."
The branch of philosophy that deals with moral principles and the concepts of right and wrong conduct.
"She decided to specialize in bioethics and classical ethics during her graduate studies in philosophy."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the academic field of moral philosophy, 'ethics' takes a singular verb (e.g., 'Ethics is a required course'), whereas when referring to a set of moral principles or rules of conduct, it typically takes a plural verb (e.g., 'His professional ethics are beyond reproach').
• Rhymes for ethics
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'ethique' and Late Latin 'ethica', from Ancient Greek 'ēthikē' (moral philosophy), derived from 'ēthos' meaning 'character, custom, or disposition'.