unrighteous

adjective

un·​righ·​teous ˌən-ˈrī-chəs 

1

: not righteous : sinful, wicked

2

: unjust, unmerited

intolerable and unrighteous interference in their lives

—W. W. Wagar

unrighteously adverb

unrighteousness noun

Synonyms

• bad
• dark
• evil
• immoral
• iniquitous
• nefarious
• rotten
• sinful
• unethical
• unlawful
• unsavory
• vicious
• vile
• villainous
• wicked
• wrong

Examples of unrighteous in a Sentence

an unrighteous act that cannot go unpunished by the congregation

Recent Examples on the Web

Spears writes of these unrighteous men matter-of-factly, avoiding the ad hominem attack, except for an occasional delicious arrow, including a recollection of the eternally white Timberlake meeting one of his rap heroes. —Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023

He’s gone through buzzard-hot streaks and some slumps, at times taking wholly unrighteous shots, and none of that matters to the shooting guard. —Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Apr. 2021

Christ himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. —Olivia Muenter, Woman's Day, 8 Feb. 2023

The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation. —Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2022

Many people, after all, think that the righteous should prosper and the unrighteous not. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 July 2021

As with all fan bases, there are exceptions, a troubled few who have lost their minds over their fanaticism for a team that on the whole has deserved their righteous support, but not their unrighteous idiocy. —Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Mar. 2021

An early episode in this cycle played out in the seemingly unrighteous realm of Hollywood backstage drama. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 June 2020

Brief letter from the soldiers of Islamic State in the land of Andalus for the crusaders, the hateful, the sinful, the unrighteous, the corrupting ones. —Jeannette Neumann, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unrighteous

• righteous

Kids Definition

unrighteous

adjective

un·​righ·​teous ˌən-ˈrī-chəs 

ˈən-

1

: not righteous : sinful, wicked

2

: unjust

unrighteously adverb

unrighteousness noun