amoral / immoral

Outside a moral framework versus contrary to one.

Amoral means having no moral bearing, or indifferent to right and wrong: an amoral process, an amoral operator. Immoral means wrong by a moral standard: an immoral bargain. A storm is amoral. Fraud is immoral. Do not use amoral as a soft synonym for immoral.

Examples

Use The algorithm is amoral; the policy is not.

Use He called the fee immoral.

Avoid He called the fee amoral. (If he means it is wrong.)