immoral

immoral
immorally, adv.
/i mawr"euhl, i mor"-/, adj.
1. violating moral principles; not conforming to the patterns of conduct usually accepted or established as consistent with principles of personal and social ethics.
2. licentious or lascivious.
[1650-60; IM-2 + MORAL]
Syn. bad, wicked, dissolute, dissipated, profligate. IMMORAL, ABANDONED, DEPRAVED describe one who makes no attempt to curb self-indulgence. IMMORAL, referring to conduct, applies to one who acts contrary to or does not obey or conform to standards of morality; it may also mean licentious and perhaps dissipated. ABANDONED, referring to condition, applies to one hopelessly, and usually passively, sunk in wickedness and unrestrained appetites. DEPRAVED, referring to character, applies to one who voluntarily seeks evil and viciousness. IMMORAL, AMORAL, NONMORAL, and UNMORAL are sometimes confused with one another.
IMMORAL means not moral and connotes evil or licentious behavior. AMORAL, NONMORAL, and UNMORAL, virtually synonymous although the first is by far the most common form, mean utterly lacking in morals (either good or bad), neither moral nor immoral. However, since, in some contexts, there is a stigma implicit in a complete lack of morals, being amoral, nonmoral, or unmoral is sometimes considered just as reprehensible as being immoral.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • immoral — immoral, ale, aux [ i(m)mɔral, o ] adj. • v. 1660; de 1. in et moral ♦ (Personnes) Qui viole les principes de la morale établie. Homme foncièrement immoral. ⇒ corrompu, débauché, dépravé; amoral. ♢ (Choses) Contraire à la morale, aux bonnes mœurs …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • immoral — immoral, unmoral, nonmoral, amoral are all briefly definable as not moral, yet they are not often interchangeable and are frequently confused, largely because the implications and connotations of the second element are not the same in each… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • immoral — I adjective amoral, arrant, bad, base, conscienceless, corrupt, criminal, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dishonest, dishonorable, disreputable, dissipated, dissolute, evil, exploitative, false, flagitious, graceless, heinous, ignoble,… …   Law dictionary

  • immoral — immoral, amoral Both words are applied to people, to people s actions, and to standards of behaviour. Immoral means ‘morally wrong, wicked’, whereas amoral means ‘having no morals’, i.e. ‘outside the scope of morality’ and is strictly neutral in… …   Modern English usage

  • Immoral — Im*mor al, a. [Pref. im not + moral: cf. F. immoral.] Not moral; inconsistent with rectitude, purity, or good morals; contrary to conscience or the divine law; wicked; unjust; dishonest; vicious; licentious; as, an immoral man; an immoral deed.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • immoral — immoral, ale (i mmo ral, ra l ) adj. Qui est sans principe de morale, sans moeurs. Caractère immoral. •   Entassez des monceaux d or sur des monceaux d or; et soyez heureux, si l homme immoral peut l être, RAYNAL Hist. phil. XIX, 6.    En parlant …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • immoral — (adj.) 1650s, from assimilated form of IN (Cf. in ) (1) not + MORAL (Cf. moral) (adj.). Related: Immorally …   Etymology dictionary

  • immoral — [adj] evil, degenerate abandoned, bad, corrupt, debauched, depraved, dishonest, dissipated, dissolute, fast*, graceless, impure, indecent, iniquitous, lewd, licentious, loose*, nefarious, obscene, of easy virtue*, pornographic, profligate, rakish …   New thesaurus

  • immoral — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ not conforming to accepted standards of morality. DERIVATIVES immorality noun (pl. immoralities) immorally adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • immoral — [i môr′əl] adj. [< IN 2 + MORAL] 1. not in conformity with accepted principles of right and wrong behavior 2. wicked 3. not in conformity with the accepted standards of proper sexual behavior; unchaste; lewd immorally adv …   English World dictionary

  • immoral —    associated with prostitution    Literally, contrary to virtue, but confined to sexual misbehaviour in various legal jargon phrases. Thus immoral earnings, which it is a crime for a pimp to live on, are what a prostitute gets paid:     It would …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

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