conscience
the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action: to follow the dictates of conscience.
the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.
an inhibiting sense of what is prudent: I'd eat another piece of pie but my conscience would bother me.
Obsolete. consciousness; self-knowledge.
Obsolete. strict and reverential observance.
Idioms about conscience
Origin of conscience
1Other words from conscience
- con·science·less, adjective
- con·science·less·ly, adverb
- con·science·less·ness, noun
- sub·con·science, noun
Words that may be confused with conscience
- conscience , conscious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use conscience in a sentence
So for that reason alone I never seriously considered it, but I felt pushed in that direction by my conscience while I was researching the book.
Artisanal American Cheese Was Finally on Top of the World, and Then the World Fell Apart | Jaya Saxena | October 5, 2020 | EaterAmnesty International recognized Victoria Biran a prisoner of conscience, deprived of her liberty solely for peacefully exercising their human rights, and her case is emblematic of thousands of persons in Belarus detained in recent weeks.
“But the content of a man’s character or a woman’s character to serve in that capacity is more important than any other issue that I have to consider as a matter of conscience,” he added.
Election live updates: Debate commission says it will change structure to ensure more ‘orderly discussion’ | John Wagner, Felicia Sonmez, Amy B Wang | September 30, 2020 | Washington PostSome teams among the bottom half of their league’s seeds — such as the Yankees and Astros — cannot, in good conscience, be considered “Cinderellas.”
What To Watch For In The Wildest MLB Playoffs Ever | Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com) | September 28, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightHowever, it doesn’t seem to make sense to your pesky conscience.
They're not just conscienceless industrial killing machines.
There was always “that dreadful Southern vivacity” and the locals with the “conscienceless” eyes.
This is so important that I should hold it conscienceless to engage in the profession of criminology without knowing the dialects.
Criminal Psychology | Hans GrossSo far as decent speech could compass it, I have ever sought to tell her what a conscienceless villain you are.
The Master of Appleby | Francis LyndeBut first of all, with characteristic stealth, the conscienceless half-breed had begun his journey with a comfortable nap.
The Castaways of Pete's Patch | Carroll Watson RankinIn business relations he is as conscienceless as Tamerlane, who built a mountain of skulls as a monument to himself.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 12 | Elbert HubbardIt was gall to the conscienceless junior to be thus baldly snubbed.
Marjorie Dean, College Senior | Pauline Lester
British Dictionary definitions for conscience
/ (ˈkɒnʃəns) /
the sense of right and wrong that governs a person's thoughts and actions
regulation of one's actions in conformity to this sense
a supposed universal faculty of moral insight
conscientiousness; diligence
a feeling of guilt or anxiety: he has a conscience about his unkind action
obsolete consciousness
in conscience or in all conscience
with regard to truth and justice
certainly
on one's conscience causing feelings of guilt or remorse
Origin of conscience
1Derived forms of conscience
- conscienceless, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with conscience
see have a clear conscience; in conscience.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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