Meaning & use
without integrity
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseformal
lacking honesty and strong moral principles
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like be or seem: He is without integrity.
Patterns
- be without integrity
- act without integrity
- seem without integrity
A leader without integrity will soon lose the trust of the people.
The report described the official as without integrity.
Common combinations
- a person without integrity
- No one wants to work with a person without integrity.
- act without integrity
- He acted without integrity when he lied to the committee.
- be without integrity
- The whole system seems to be without integrity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dishonest
- This adjective is more direct and common: a dishonest official. 'Without integrity' is more formal and suggests a lack of moral character, not just one lie.
- unprincipled
- This adjective means lacking moral principles; it is close in meaning but often describes a person's general behavior, while 'without integrity' can describe a single action or a whole system.
Opposites
Commonly confused: without integrity or integral?
without integrity vs integral
'Integral' means essential or necessary, while 'integrity' means honesty and moral strength. They come from the same root but have different meanings.
Practice
Choose the best completion: 'The judge was known to be a man ______.'
Choose one answer.
'Without integrity' is the correct phrase meaning lacking honesty. 'Without integral' is wrong because 'integral' is an adjective meaning essential. 'Without an integrity' is incorrect because 'integrity' is uncountable here. 'Without integrity of' would need a following noun, e.g. 'without integrity of purpose', which does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “without integrity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.