Meaning of ethic in English

ethic

noun

/ˈeθ.ɪk/ uk

/ˈeθ.ɪk/

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C2 [ C usually plural ]

a system of accepted beliefs that control behavior, especially such a system based on morals:

The ethics of journalism are much debated.

code of ethics He said he was bound by a scientist's code of ethics.

breach of ethics Publication of the article was a breach of ethics.

The children learned an ethic of hard work from their parents.

The organization had an ethic of fair play and public service.

See also

work ethic

ethics C2 [ U ]

the study of what is morally right and what is not:

He took a broad range of classes in sociology, religion, ethics, political thought and more.

More examplesFewer examples

The doctor has been accused of violating professional ethics.
The company was known for its poor business ethics and many people refused to buy its products.
Members of the society are highly qualified and governed by a strict code of ethics.
He wrote an article criticizing the business community for its the lack of ethics.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Morality and rules of behavior

See more results »

(Definition of ethic from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

ethic | Intermediate English

ethic

noun [ C usually pl ]

/ˈeθ·ɪk/

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a system of accepted beliefs that control behavior, esp. such a system based on morals:

Our school promotes an ethic of service to the community.

ethical

adjective us

/ˈeθ·ɪ·kəl/

No ethical physician would prescribe that drug.

ethically

adverb us

/ˈeθ·ɪk·li/

Laughing at your clients is ethically wrong.

(Definition of ethic from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

ethic | Business English

ethic

noun [ C, usually plural ]

/ˈeθɪk/ us

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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

a system of accepted rules about behaviour, based on what is considered right and wrong:

business/professional ethics It would be contrary to business ethics to refuse her insurance cover.

A coach is required to comply with the National Governing Body's code of ethics.

We promote an ethic of cooperation and social reciprocity.

Examples of ethic

ethic

I have so much respect for the work ethic of the people in the industry.

From The Atlantic

The topics of prayer were numerous and ranged from evangelism to work ethic.

From NOLA.com

Poverty, they say, does not result from a poor work ethic among the disadvantaged.

From Foreign Policy

He missed hanging out with guys who shared his work ethic.

From OregonLive.com

Yes, taking away government handouts, in the course of welfare reform, certainly helped to recapture an ethic of work.

From Washington Post

I did not question his work ethic whatsoever.

From Fast Company

A lot of people just look at acting as a quick fix -- they don't have a work ethic.

From Huffington Post

From a very young age, my family ingrained a work ethic because we all had to work and contribute to produce income to live.

From Huffington Post

I believe in discipline and a strong work ethic.

From Huffington Post

Importantly, the environmental ethic is stronger in young people than in old people.

From Huffington Post

The millennial generation say older people have better moral values, have better work ethic.

From NPR

She described his worth ethic as "tireless," according to pool reports.

From Politico

There's no question that his work ethic is what made him into one of the great quarterbacks of all time.

From The Denver Post

We learn a lot about what he values, what his work ethic is, what his character is like.

From NBCNews.com

I like him, he's got a great work ethic, he's very talented.

From ABC News

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with ethic

ethic

These are words often used in combination with ethic.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

conservation ethic

Ecotourism and the conservation ethic: recruiting the uninitiated or preaching to the converted?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

environmental ethic

A fully adequate environmental ethic would need to incorporate what is of value in each theory - namely, the values each prioritizes - and successfully combine them.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

ethic of care

For example, can the ethic of care be easily incorporated into legislation, or might it ultimately be too discretionary to capture within legal rules?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all collocations with ethic

What is the pronunciation of ethic?