amoral

1 of 2

adjective

amor·​al (ˌ)ā-ˈmȯr-əl 

(ˌ)a-, 

-ˈmär-

1

a

: having or showing no concern about whether behavior is morally right or wrong

amoral politicians

an amoral, selfish person

b

: being neither moral nor immoral

specifically : lying outside the sphere to which moral judgments apply

Science as such is completely amoral.

—W. S. Thompson

2

: being outside or beyond the moral order or a particular code of morals

amoral customs

amoralism

(ˌ)ā-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌli-zəm 

(ˌ)a-, 

-ˈmär-

noun

amorality

ˌā-mə-ˈra-lə-tē 

ˌa-, 

-(ˌ)mȯ-

noun

amorally

ˌā-ˈmȯr-ə-lē 

(ˌ)a-, 

-ˈmär-

adverb

amoralism

2 of 2

noun

amor·​al·​ism (ˌ)ā-ˈmȯr-ə-ˌli-zəm  (ˌ)a- 

-ˈmär-

plural -s

1

: a doctrine that repudiates ordinary moral distinctions as invalid

the amoralism professed by many students of human affairs

—Ernest Nagel

2

: an amoral state, condition, or attitude : amorality

Examples of amoral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In Bird and Goldmark’s account (these collaborators are also married), the nihilistic, amoral, duplicitous, power-seeking Roy Marcus Cohn makes Niccolò Machiavelli seem like a rank amateur. — Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 15 Sep. 2026

Created by Kasdan, Sid & Zoey is about Sid, a seductive, sophisticated, and amoral teenager from New York, who is sent to live with a police chief and his family in the idyllic Mississippi town where his mother grew up. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026

Mastering the laws of the parking lot can’t possibly prepare you for the throttling speed and amoral violence of the road beyond. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026

This savage, amoral and unfeeling Robin Hood has been written to invert everything modern fans like about him. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

a- entry 2 + moral entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for amoral

• aboral
• auroral
• balmoral
• binaural
• clitoral
• immoral
• phosphoryl
• aural
• chloral
• choral
• coral
• floral

Kids Definition

amoral

adjective

amor·​al ā-ˈmȯr-əl 

-ˈmär-

: not being moral nor immoral

amorally

-ə-lē 

adverb