Ethics are moral beliefs and rules about right and wrong.
Its members are bound by a rigid code of ethics which includes confidentiality.
Refugee workers said such action was a violation of medical ethics.
2. plural noun
Someone's ethics are the moral principles about right and wrong behaviour which they believe in.
It is common to distinguish between personal and social ethics.
He told the police that he had thought honestly about the ethics of what he was doing. [+of]
3. uncountable noun
Ethics is the study of questions about what is morally right and wrong.
...the teaching of ethics and moral philosophy.
4. singular noun
An ethic of a particular kind is an idea or moral belief that influences the behaviour, attitudes, and philosophy of a group of people.
...the ethic of public service. [+ of]
...an indomitable work ethic and determination to succeed.
ethic in British English
(ˈɛθɪk)
noun
1.
a moral principle or set of moral values held by an individual or group
the Puritan ethic
adjective
2. another word for ethical
Word origin
C15: from Latin ēthicus, from Greek ēthikos, from ēthos custom; see ethos
ethic in American English
(ˈɛθɪk)
noun
1.
a system of moral standards or values
the humanist ethic
2.
a particular moral standard or value
the success ethic
Word origin
ME ethik < OFr ethique < LL ethica < Gr ēthikē (technē), ethical (art): see ethical
COBUILD Collocations
ethic
team ethic
Examples of 'ethic' in a sentence
ethic
To say he has a strong work ethic would be putting it mildly.
The Sun (2016)
The most important thing to teach my daughters is to have a strong work ethic.
The Sun (2016)
He has tremendous work ethic and determination.
The Sun (2016)
The series was criticised for testing the boundaries of medical ethics, under which plastic surgery procedures are prohibited from being awarded as prizes.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A strong work ethic can conquer all, he insists.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We employ 200 students in our union, giving you a great work ethic while still studying.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The group brought in a code of ethics explicitly banning such attacks.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This sprang from a rarely expressed but firmly held set of views on ethics and religious beliefs.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Whether you do depends on ethics and morals.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It gives people a work ethic and all sorts of skills in life.
The Sun (2015)
There is a massive work ethic and personal responsibility.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is also the fulcrum of one of the most important arguments in modern medical ethics.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
That was a violation of my ethics.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
Why should women be more likely to embrace social responsibility and ethics?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The young squad he has assembled have a strong work ethic and are improving all the time.
The Sun (2015)
It has also introduced a code of ethics.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This common moral ethic provided a pivotal point of reference.
Roper, Jon Democracy and its Critics - Anglo-American democratic thought in the nineteenth century (1989)
His work ethic has stunned people at the club.
The Sun (2014)
Nowadays the very concept of personal ethics has become problematic in one domain after another.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
During the fellowship he plans to write two books on medical law and ethics and to lecture.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They value being part of a business which has social responsibility and ethics at its heart.
The Sun (2013)
We still have the same humility, the same group ethic.
The Sun (2014)
At this point, you might be questioning the ethics of our study.
Christianity Today (2000)
But where is Continental philosophy in medical ethics?
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
The other is a group ethic, whereby loyalty and mutual assistance are viewed as overriding values.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
I loved their work ethic and determination.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I know the determination and work ethic he has always had to make sure he does the job right.
The Sun (2011)
All related terms of 'ethic'
team ethic
An ethic of a particular kind is an idea or moral belief that influences the behaviour, attitudes , and philosophy of a group of people.
work ethic
An ethic of a particular kind is an idea or moral belief that influences the behaviour, attitudes , and philosophy of a group of people.
Puritan ethic
→ work ethic
Protestant ethic
→ work ethic
Protestant work ethic
→ the Protestant work ethic
the Protestant work ethic
a belief in the moral value of work, associated with Protestant Christianity