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ethical code

ethical code

2 4.1
A set of rules that tell people in a job or group how to behave
  • noun
  • /ˈɛθɪkəl koʊd/
translation icon : código ético
  • The ethical code of this profession emphasizes honesty, respect, and accountability.
  • ASCA ethical code
  • ethical code that guides

OK, We need to tell AI we need to develop AI that has the same ethical code that's good for humanity.

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Examples

  • Following an ethical code helps maintain trust between professionals and the public.

  • All of these ethical codes contain various provisions that recognize the rights of Indigenous people over their cultural heritage.

    Academic text (2005)
  • In nearly a year, only a few companies have signed the ethical code.

    Academic text (1990)
  • My personal feeling is that you live up to your ethical code when you can.

    Blog text (15)
  • Often, that rationale is provided by a moral or ethical code or by community standards.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Usually, a strong religious or ethical code is used as a rationale for avoiding conflict.

    Academic text (2008)
  • However, these processes are stunted if adolescents do not see their online activities as subject to any ethical code.

    Academic text (2008)
  • However, the ethical codes and publication standards for biological sciences have only begun to integrate that recognition.

    Academic text (2013)
  • ASCA's (2004) recently revised ethical code acknowledges more directly than previous versions the tension that exists between confidentiality and parental rights.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Maintaining confidentiality, both of personal disclosures and of student records, was a section from the ethical code that more participants ranked as a most common dilemma than as a most challenging dilemma.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

ethics
vsethical code
584 4.2

Moral rules that tell people what is right and wrong and the study of those rules

is a concrete set of rules used to guide group or professional conduct
code
vsethical code
  • Formal
492 3.9

A set of rules that people agree to follow in a job or group

is narrower focusing on moral rules for acceptable group conduct
ethic
vsethical code
79 4.4

A set of moral rules that guide how a person or group behaves

is a formal rule set for acceptable group or professional conduct
code of conduct
vsethical code
23 3.4

A set of rules that members of a group must follow

is focused on moral principles governing acceptable conduct in groups
code of behavior
vsethical code
1 3.7

A set of rules members of a group like a school or company must follow

is concerned with moral principles rather than conventional expectations

How Formal

ethical code
2 4.1
values
11 3.4

Surface Forms

ethical code singular
ethical codes plural

Morphology

ethical + code

The meaning is directly compositional: 'ethical' (relating to morals) modifies 'code' (a set of rules), yielding a 'set of moral rules or principles.' This adjective+noun pattern is common and mirrored in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Ethical code joins ethical (about right and wrong) and code (a written set of rules), so imagine a small rulebook that tells people how to act. That's why it means 'a set of rules that guide how people should behave'.