Ethical: Of or relating to ethics. Ethics are standards for thought, word, and deed that constrain a person to do what is right and good (rather than simply what is easy, comfortable, or self-serving). Often, considerations of ethics have a social component; that is, they deal with actions concerning or affecting others. We use the word "ethics" to refer primarily to an individual's INNER standards based on orientation, intention, and motivation -- and NOT to the relatively superficial cultural standards of right and wrong, either behavioral or conceptual.