as in unlawful
not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable
an unrighteous act that cannot go unpunished by the congregation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of unrighteous
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrighteous
Adjective
-
The aim was to see how institutions — both public and private — would react to a president giving unlawful or unethical orders.—
Byron Tau,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
He was charged with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and unlawful discharge.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The trial culminated in the dramatic display of her thong before the jury, paired with descriptions of her as manipulative and immoral.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Growing shares in each party describe those in the other party as more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
This was not out of choice: After his capture and before his execution, Höss was ordered to write his memoir, giving an insight into the workings of a mind that was both ordinary and chillingly evil.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Nietzsche’s treatise criticizes philosophers who rest their moral framework on the assumption that good and evil are opposites.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And in this case, there’s nothing more sinful than talking about LeBron James trades.—
Dan Woike,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Dec. 2024
-
But it also was forged from a particular kind of alchemy that separates a sinful holiday confection from a sugar-sodden mess.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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His wicked knuckle-curve pairs with a 96-mph fastball.—
Phil Rogers,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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His wicked point shot is just what Coach Carbs needs for his system of double screens of the goalie.—
Shayna Goldman,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The roughest angle to imposter syndrome seems to be a potentially vicious cycle that can ensue.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Social media lit up with outrage directed toward Jubilee for giving voice to a vicious troll.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Alexander Basara and his fiancée, Ally Keller, attended Sunday’s game in Philadelphia, but their experience supporting their team was soured when an Eagles fan, identified as Ryan Caldwell, lashed out at Keller and Basara in a vile tirade.—
Paulina Dedaj,
Fox News,
17 Jan. 2025
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The vile act prompted Hodges to snatch a plastic bottle and hurl it at the suspect, who dodged the drink and then drew a knife, the deli worker said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Daily How Nike’s new CEO plans to rebound from its worst year ever Sheryl Estrada NewslettersTerm Sheet Yan-David Erlich, former Weights and Biases executive, joins B Capital as general partner Allie Garfinkle NewslettersData Sheet The key to Netflix’s blowout earnings?—
Brit Morse,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2025
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Bankers, who often complain that uncertainty is bad for business, are now willing to try all sorts of deals to see what will work.—
Andrew Ross Sorkin,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near unrighteous
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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