Definitions

unscrupulous

[uhn-skroo-pyuh-luhs] / ʌnˈskru pyə ləs /

ADJECTIVE

immoral

Synonyms

STRONGEST

corrupt crafty crooked deceitful dishonest illegal petty ruthless selfish shady shameless underhanded unethical venal

WEAK

arrant base casuistic conscienceless degraded degrading disgraceful dishonorable down and dirty exploitative improper low-down mercenary perfidious questionable recreant scandalous scheming self-seeking shifty sinister slippery sly two-faced unconscientious unconscionable underhand unfair unprincipled unworthy wicked wrongful

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aboveboard decent ethical fair frank good honest honorable kind lawful moral open principled right trustworthy truthful upright

WEAK

scrupulous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The company is hoping that panicked consumers trying, say, to rebook a flight will click on the first link they see, bringing them to unscrupulous parties that try to charge exorbitant fees.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

State website, less-frequent reporting gives unscrupulous managers more opportunity to hide losses, which could have serious long-term consequences.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

As all those options cost money, what unscrupulous traders actually do is either illegally burn the clothes, or illegally dump them out in the surrounding Atacama Desert.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

He said he had become concerned about the potential for a dying person to be coerced by "unscrupulous relatives, or 'trusted' medical or legal professionals" into ending their life prematurely.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

He was an energetic but unscrupulous reporter, willing to take bribes to slant stories.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Vocabulary lists containing unscrupulous

The Catcher in the Rye

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Power Prefix: un-

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Grade 10, List 6

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