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 Chartered Trading Standards Institute said that while the mis-selling or misdescription of fish was not a widespread issue it acknowledged "there are still some unscrupulous businesses".

From BBC • Apr. 30, 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

Some unscrupulous businesses are seeing it as an opportunity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

"As the demand for certain breeds increases, we see a lot more unscrupulous breeding going on, including really poor breeding practices and puppy smuggling," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 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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