ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Conscience

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈkɒn.ʃəns/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Conscience is a noun meaning The ethical or moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects a person’s own behaviour and forms their attitude to their past actions.

Meaning

The ethical or moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects a person’s own behaviour and forms their attitude to their past actions.

More Meanings

  1. (obsolete) Consciousness; thinking; awareness, especially self-awareness.
  2. (chiefly fiction, narratology) A personification of the moral sense of right and wrong, usually in the form of a person, a being or merely a voice that gives moral lessons and advices.

Example Sentences

Your conscience is your highest authority.
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought.
As for Grierson, he poured liquor into himself as if it were so much soothing syrup, demonstrating that a good digestion is the highest form of good conscience.
1949, Albert Einstein, as quoted by Virgil Henshaw in Albert Einstein: Philosopher Scientist, Never do anything against conscience, even if the state demands it.

Word Forms

Synonyms for conscience

Depending on context, synonyms include scruples.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include scruples, opinion, belief, realisation, knowledge, cognisance.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.