conscience
[ kon-shuhns ]
/ ˈkɒn ʃəns /
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noun
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.
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Idioms about conscience
have something on one's conscience, to feel guilty about something, as an act that one considers wrong: She behaves as if she had something on her conscience.
Origin of conscience
OTHER WORDS FROM conscience
con·science·less, adjectivecon·science·less·ly, adverbcon·science·less·ness, nounsub·con·science, nounWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH conscience
conscience , consciousDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use conscience in a sentence
The mottled goosebone of the Allentown prophet is no more meteorologically accurate than our subconscience.
Mince PieAuthor: Christopher Darlington MorleyRelease Date: October 10, 2004 [eBook #13694]|Christopher Darlington Morley
British Dictionary definitions for conscience
conscience
/ (ˈkɒnʃəns) /
noun
- 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 anxietyhe 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
Derived forms of conscience
conscienceless, adjectiveWord Origin for conscience
C13: from Old French, from Latin conscientia knowledge, consciousness, from conscīre to know; see conscious
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
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.