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Ethics: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Ethics noun. The moral principles that guide behaviour, or the branch of philosophy that studies right and wrong.
How to say it
ETH-iks/ˈɛθɪks/
2 syllables, stressed on the first (ETH). Forms: ethical.
Ethics in a sentence
The documentary raised awkward questions about the ethics of filming strangers' grief.
She switched from law to philosophy and wrote her thesis on the ethics of eating meat.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- morals
- principles
- values
- morality
Where ethics comes from
From Greek ēthikos, relating to character, from ēthos, character or custom.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
She switched from law to philosophy and wrote her thesis on the _____ of eating meat.
- sceptic
- ethics
- hedonism
Show the answer
ethics: She switched from law to philosophy and wrote her thesis on the ethics of eating meat.