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Spiritual vs Ethical - What's the difference?

spiritual | ethical |

As nouns the difference between spiritual and ethical

is that spiritual is (christianity|historical) a member of a branch of the franciscan order who advocated simple dress and renounced the owning of property while ethical is an ethical drug.

As an adjective ethical is

(philosophy|not comparable) of or relating to the study of ethics.

spiritual

English

Alternative forms

* spirituall, spirytual, spirytuall, spyritual, spyrituall, spyrytual, spyrytuall

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of or pertaining to the spirit or the soul.
    • Respect towards ancestors is an essential part of Thai spiritual practice.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • God's law is spiritual ; it is a transcript of the divine nature, and extends its authority to the acts of the soul of man.
  • Of or pertaining to God or a place of worship; sacred.
  • Of or pertaining to spirits; supernatural.
  • Consisting of spirit; not material; incorporeal.
    • a spiritual substance or being
  • * Bible, 1. Corinthians xv. 44
    • It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
  • Of or relating to the intellectual and higher endowments of the mind; mental; intellectual.
  • (Christianity) Controlled and inspired by the Holy Spirit; pure; holy.
  • * Bible, Gal. vi. 1
    • If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual , restore such an one.
  • Not lay or temporal; relating to sacred things; ecclesiastical.
    • the spiritual''' functions of the clergy; lords '''spiritual''' and temporal; a '''spiritual corporation

    Derived terms

    * antispiritual * antispiritualism * antispirituality * spiritual desertion * spiritualism * spiritualist * spirituality * spiritually

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A Christian religious song, especially one in an African-American style, or a similar non-religious song.
  • Any spiritual function, office, or affair.
    • He assigns supremacy to the pope in spirituals , and to the emperor in temporals. — Lowell.

    ethical

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (philosophy, not comparable) Of or relating to the study of ethics.
    • The philosopher Kant is particularly known for his ethical writings.
  • (not comparable) Of or relating to the accepted principles of right and wrong, especially those of some organization or profession.
    • All employees must familiarize themselves with our ethical guidelines.
  • (comparable) Morally approvable, when referring to an action that affects others; good.
    • We are trying to decide what the most ethical course of action would be.
  • (of a drug, not comparable) Only dispensed on the prescription of a physician.
    • In most jurisdictions, morphine is classified as an ethical drug.

    Usage notes

    * In general usage ethical'' is used to describe standards of behavior between individuals, while ''moral'' or ''immoral can describe any behavior. You can call lying unethical or immoral, for example, because it involves the behavior of one person and how it affects another, but violating dietary prohibitions in a holy text can only be described as immoral.

    Derived terms

    * ethical investment * ethical system * meta-ethical * (morally approvable) unethical

    Related terms

    * ethic * ethics * ethos

    See also

    * ethical dative

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An ethical drug.

    • External links

    * * *

    Anagrams

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