Ethical means doing what's right and fair according to good moral principles. When you make an ethical choice, you're choosing to act in a way that respects others and follows rules of fairness and honesty, even when no one is watching.

An ethical person returns the extra change when a cashier makes a mistake in their favor. An ethical scientist reports accurate results from experiments, even if the real data doesn't support what they hoped to prove. When doctors promise to keep patient information private, they're following ethical guidelines that protect people's trust.

Being ethical often means thinking beyond just what benefits you personally. If someone finds a lost wallet, the ethical thing to do is to try to return it to its owner, not keep the money inside. When a business treats its workers fairly and honestly, people say it operates in an ethical way.

The opposite of ethical is unethical, meaning wrong or dishonest. An unethical action violates principles of fairness and integrity, like lying to get ahead or taking credit for someone else's work.