Meaning & use

ethics

noun·Academic

Moral principles that govern a person's behavior, or the branch of philosophy studying right and wrong.

See it in a sentence

The board reviewed the company's ethics policy after the scandal came to light.

Her class in ethics examined whether the ends can ever justify the means.

A note on using this word

Ethics is plural in form but usually takes a singular verb when it refers to the academic field as a whole.

Words with a similar meaning

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