Ethic
//ˈɛθ.ɪk// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A set of principles of right and wrong behaviour guiding, or representative of, a specific culture, society, group, or individual.
"The Protestant work ethic."
- 2 the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group wordnet
- 3 The morality of an action.
- 4 a system of principles governing morality and acceptable conduct wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Moral, relating to morals.
Example
More examples"This attitude, the Protestant work ethic, still influences Americans today."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English etik, from Late Latin ēthicus, from Ancient Greek ἠθῐκός (ēthĭkós).
Etymology 2
From Middle English etik, ethik, from Old French ethique, from Late Latin ēthica, from Ancient Greek ἠθική (ēthikḗ), from ἠθικός (ēthikós, “of or for morals, moral, expressing character”), from ἦθος (êthos, “character, moral nature”).
Related phrases
More for "ethic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.