adjective
-
lacking moral principles; unscrupulous
-
archaic (foll by in) not versed in the principles of (a subject)
Related Words
See unscrupulous.
Other Word Forms
- unprincipledness noun
Etymology
Origin of unprincipled
First recorded in 1625–35; un- 1 + principled
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 careers of men like Charles Ponzi, Jesse Livermore, and Ivan Boesky remind us that one unprincipled gambler can still cause immense damage to respectable shareholders, the market itself, and even the nation.
From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026
First, there’s the popular 2007 soap opera “Paraíso Tropical,” in which he played an unprincipled businessman.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025
During the 1990s he privately criticized the “barbarians” brought in by a new editor, Tina Brown, but admitted to Garrison Keillor his “own unprincipled connivance with the Tina regime.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
He had also proved himself many times over to be untrustworthy and unprincipled.
From Salon • Oct. 15, 2023
The firm shunned those who came seeking a defense of indefensible behavior, which was common enough in the unprincipled corridors of the financial district.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
