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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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.
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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
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In finding the defendant guilty in this case, the jury necessarily found unanimously that the defendant falsified 34 separate entries in his business records with the intent to defraud, which included an intent to commit or conceal a conspiracy to promote his own election by unlawful means.ABC NEWS, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
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Capitol Police identified him Thursday as Adrian J. Hinton, 35, saying he was arrested for unlawful activities.Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Last week’s interview saw CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil speak with author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new book The Message, which passionately argues that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is immoral and should be condemned.Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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
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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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Like what odd specificity made that person's laugh and made that wicked part of their sense of humor shine or pissed you off like nobody else?Rachel Martin, NPR, 12 Jan. 2025
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Neighbor-bully-jerkface Trey takes the bolt cutters to the tunnel’s electrical whatchamacallits, which causes a minor explosion and opens up that wicked grate that got Matty in ’94.Nick Caruso, TVLine, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Several fast-growing wildfires fueled by a vicious Southern California wind storm are devastating communities across the Los Angeles region, with homes being burned to the ground and tens of thousands of people evacuating to safety.Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
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That’s when Evans, in a full sprint, blindsided Lattimore with a vicious hit in the back and knocked him to the ground.Rick Stroud, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Yes, the internet facilitates stupid vile behaviours.Art de Roché, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
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But there's a better chance of government acting against a vile status quo than waiting for colleges and universities to change.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Trump's first term was considered really bad at -4%.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025
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Related to this, the second Trump administration begins in a much worse fiscal place as the first Trump government did in 2016.Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near unrighteous
Cite this Entry
“Unrighteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrighteous. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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