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Showing results for conscientious objection. Search instead for Conscientious decisions.

conscientious objection

American  

noun

  1. refusal on moral or religious grounds to serve in the armed forces or to bear arms in a military conflict.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of conscientious objection

First recorded in 1895–1900


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.

See Examples For:

Dickson said conscientious objection was widespread in Wales - and it needed to be addressed.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Bishop Kryvytskyi said that he and his colleagues at the same time have taken up the cause of those Ukrainians who have been convicted on charges stemming from their conscientious objection to fighting.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 5, 2023

Mistaken, “of course,” Akst writes, about U.S. participation in World War II, for which they offered no realistic alternative, pacifists moved from conscientious objection to a substantially more wide-ranging reform agenda.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2022

The military has, for generations, made inquiries into how conscientious a conscientious objection really is; immigration officials may make similar inquiries into a green-card-conferring marriage.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2021

Are booksellers people who have a conscientious objection to selling books?

From Books and Persons Being Comments on a Past Epoch 1908-1911 by Arnold Bennett

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