unprincipled

[ uhn-prin-suh-puhld ]

adjective

1. lacking or not based on moral scruples or principles:

   an unprincipled person; unprincipled behavior.

   Synonyms: dishonest, tricky

2. not instructed in the principles of something (usually followed by in ).

unprincipled

/ ʌnˈprɪnsɪpəld /

adjective

1. lacking moral principles; unscrupulous
2. archaic.
   foll by in not versed in the principles of (a subject)

Derived Forms

• unˈprincipledness, noun

Other Words From

• un·princi·pled·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unprincipled¹

First recorded in 1625–35; un- ¹ + principled

Synonym Study

See unscrupulous.

Example Sentences

I should have called it the Purcell unprincipled—that would have been much better.

From Slate

In a rare move, she also invited the public to condemn the majority’s unprincipled judging, mourning “this a dark day in the history of the state’s judiciary.”

From Slate

I came to know him as an unprincipled man of greed, lust and carnal desires that continue to rule him and thus make him unfit for office.

From Salon

Cooley said Harris was a “generally ineffectual” prosecutor at the start of her career in Alameda County; “one of the weaker” lead prosecutors in the state when she was San Francisco district attorney; and an unprincipled state attorney general who “didn’t follow the law” when it didn’t suit her or her political ambitions.

From Los Angeles Times

Davis, for his part, expects Biden to be reelected, given his record and the contrast he offers to the wayward, unprincipled ex-president.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amoral
• deceitful
• dishonest
• immoral
• unconscionable
• unethical
• unprofessional
• unscrupulous