conscientious

[kon-shee-en-shuhs, kon-see-]

adjective

1. 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.

   Synonyms: dedicated, devoted, faithful, honest, upright, just

2. careful and painstaking; particular; meticulous; scrupulous.

   conscientious application to the work at hand.

conscientious

/ ˌkɒnʃɪˈɛnʃəs /

adjective

1. involving or taking great care; painstaking; diligent

2. governed by or done according to conscience

Other Word Forms

• conscientiously adverb
• conscientiousness noun
• hyperconscientious adjective
• hyperconscientiously adverb
• hyperconscientiousness noun
• overconscientious adjective
• overconscientiously adverb
• unconscientious adjective
• unconscientiously adverb
• unconscientiousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conscientious¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin conscientiōsus, equivalent to Latin conscienti(a) conscience + -ōsus -ous

Synonym Study

See painstaking.

Example Sentences

Ms. Doucet populates the book with sympathetic characters—the “real cement and steel of the Inter-Con”—conscientious and kind Afghans who keep the hotel going as regimes collapse, rulers change, mores alter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the show’s sophisticated storytelling and trove of rare artifacts are most likely to delight conscientious tourists and the already historically engaged.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Young men were able to choose either to serve or, if they were conscientious objectors, opt for social work.

Read more on BBC

I happen to be someone who is hilariously conscientious and intensely empathic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• honest 
• honorable 
• principled 
• responsible 
• scrupulous 
• strict