conscientious
Americanadjective
-
governed by conscience; controlled by or done according to one's inner sense of what is right; principled.
She's a conscientious judge, who does not let personal prejudices influence her decisions.
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careful and painstaking; particular; meticulous; scrupulous.
conscientious application to the work at hand.
adjective
-
involving or taking great care; painstaking; diligent
-
governed by or done according to conscience
Related Words
See painstaking.
Other Word Forms
- conscientiously adverb
- conscientiousness noun
- hyperconscientious adjective
- hyperconscientiously adverb
- hyperconscientiousness noun
- overconscientious adjective
- overconscientiously adverb
- unconscientious adjective
- unconscientiously adverb
- unconscientiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of conscientious
First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin conscientiōsus, equivalent to Latin conscienti(a) conscience + -ōsus -ous
Explanation
If someone is conscientious, that person strives to do what's right and to carry out her duties. Conscientious people show care and put in a big effort. Being conscientious has to do with being careful, thoughtful, and decent. A conscientious doctor will do everything possible to help a patient. A conscientious teacher will spend extra time with students, just to make sure they're learning. A boss wishes every worker could be conscientious: it's a rare and wonderful trait. To be conscientious, you have to be willing to do the right thing even when it's difficult. Unfortunately, many people aren't conscientious.
Vocabulary lists containing conscientious
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Great Gatsby
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Labor Day Lexicon: Words That Put You To Work
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Still, that will depend on lawmakers, regulators, and conscientious customers opposing this with all they’ve got, and soon.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026
"You have to be mindful and conscientious," she said, noting that last year's hosting gig in the shadow of deadly fires that devastated Los Angeles was a case in point.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
Prof Jeremy Horder, a criminal law expert at London School of Economics, said he feared an "over-broad false statement law" could "have an unduly chilling effect on the speech of conscientious people and media outlets".
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026
Yet whenever Americans leave their houses, they see their country full of conscientious, smart, hard-working people, some of whom already work in politics at the state and local level.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
Benjamin Britten enjoyed an extended holiday in America, while Michael Tippett, a conscientious objector, produced an eloquent and moving wartime plea for unfashionable pacifism in his oratorio A Child of Our Time.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
