Conscience Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of conscience ... 1a : the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut conscience noun SaveWord con·​science |\ˈkän(t)-shən(t)s \ EssentialMeaningofconscience 1 :thepartofthemindthatmakesyouawareofyouractionsasbeingeithermorallyrightorwrong Theissueisamatterof(individual)conscience.[=somethingthatpeoplemustdecideaboutaccordingtowhattheybelieveismorallyright]Ican'tworkforacompanythathasnosocialconscience.[=acompanythatdoesnotcareaboutimportantsocialissues] 2 :afeelingthatsomethingyouhavedoneismorallywrong Shefeltapang/prickofconscience[=guilt]aboutnotinvitinghim.Thethiefmusthavehadanattackofconscience,becausehereturnedthewalletwithnothingmissingfromit. FullDefinitionofconscience 1a :thesenseorconsciousnessofthemoralgoodnessorblameworthinessofone'sownconduct,intentions,orcharactertogetherwithafeelingofobligationtodorightorbegood Shehadaguiltyconscience. b :afaculty,power,orprincipleenjoininggoodacts guidedbyconscience c :thepartofthesuperegoinpsychoanalysisthattransmitscommandsandadmonitionstotheego 2 :conformitytowhatoneconsiderstobecorrect,right,ormorallygood:conscientiousness 3 :sensitiveregardforfairnessorjustice:scruple awealthymanwithnoconscience 4 archaic :consciousness inallconscience orinconscience :inallfairness Shecouldnotinallconscienceremainsilent. OtherWordsfromconscience MoreExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutconscience OtherWordsfromconscience conscienceless \ ˈkän(t)-​shən(t)s-​ləs \ adjective ExamplesofconscienceinaSentence …itisapolitician'snaturalinstincttoavoidtakinganystandthatseemscontroversialunlessanduntilthevotersdemanditorconscienceabsolutelyrequiresit. —AlGore,AnInconvenientTruth,2006 Weliketoimagineliteratureasthestill,smallvoiceofhumanconscience.Itisthatonlyrarely,however.Activelyandpassively,ithasalwaysbornealongperniciousideas. —MarilynneRobinson,NewYorkTimesBookReview,15Mar.1987 Soshehadliedtohim,butsohadhetoher,theywerequitsonthatscoreandhisconsciencewascalm. —BernardMalamud,TheMagicBarrel,(1950)1958 Therathadnomorals,noconscience,noscruples,noconsideration,nodecency… —E.B.White,Charlotte'sWeb,1952 Thethiefmusthavehadanattackofconscience,becausehereturnedthewalletwithnothingmissingfromit. SeeMore RecentExamplesontheWeb Inthatregard,HasanquicklyfindsthatthepylonthatwouldcompromisethefertilityofhissoilisnobigburdencomparedtotheethicalthreathisupcomingpilgrimagetoMeccawouldposeonhisconscience. — TomrisLaffly,Variety,9Dec.2021 Shoppingwithaconscienceisonewaytomakesmallchoicesthatadduptobigchanges. — JaimeStathis,Wired,20Nov.2021 ThemysteriousmanmayhavebeenJacobhimself,orratherhisinnerconscience. — RabbiAviWeiss,sun-sentinel.com,15Nov.2021 Hewillonlybebeholdentohisconscience,hisfaith,andhisloveforthepeopleofKentucky. — MorganWatkins,TheCourier-Journal,12Nov.2021 StopstalkingyourformerclassmateonFacebooktosootheyourguiltyconscience. — AbigailVanBuren,oregonlive,11Nov.2021 FollowingtheoutbreakoftheCovid-19pandemic,marketparticipantsbelievethatinvestorswillfurtherprioritiseinvestmentswithconscience,placingsustainabilityfrontandcentre. — Forbes,1Nov.2021 YetSuccessionarguesthatKendallisstillworthrootingfor,becausesomewherewithinhisdisplayofinsufferableoverconfidencethisseasonisamanwithaconscience,unlikehisfather. — ShirleyLi,TheAtlantic,1Nov.2021 Thenightmarishqualityofhernovelsderivesinlargepartfromthenatureofherplotsaspuresituation;herearedesperatepredicamentsdeprivedofeitherthemitigationsofconscienceortheconsolationsofphilosophy. — BenjaminKunkel,TheNewRepublic,8Nov.2021 Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'conscience.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. SeeMore FirstKnownUseofconscience 13thcentury,inthemeaningdefinedatsense1a HistoryandEtymologyforconscience MiddleEnglish,fromAnglo-French,fromLatinconscientia,fromconscient-,consciens,presentparticipleofconsciretobeconscious,beconsciousofguilt,fromcom-+sciretoknow—moreatscience LearnMoreAboutconscience Shareconscience PosttheDefinitionofconsciencetoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofconscienceonTwitter TimeTravelerforconscience Thefirstknownuseofconsciencewas inthe13thcentury Seemorewordsfromthesamecentury FromtheEditorsatMerriam-Webster TheWordsoftheWeek-2/19/2021 TheWordsoftheWeek-2/19/2021 SomeofthewordsthatdefinedtheweekendingFebruary19,2021 'Conscience'vs.'Conscious':LetUsBe... 'Conscience'vs.'Conscious':LetUsBeYourGuide Avoidingconfusioninvolvesgrammarand'science' DictionaryEntriesNearconscience consarned conscience conscienceclause SeeMoreNearbyEntries  PhrasesRelatedtoconscience clearconscience guilty/troubledconscience matterof(individual)conscience Statisticsforconscience LastUpdated 13Dec2021 Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Conscience.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conscience.Accessed22Dec.2021. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsforconscience conscience noun con·​science |\ˈkän-shəns \ KidsDefinitionofconscience :asenseofrightandwrongandafeelingthatwhatisrightshouldbedone Herconsciencetoldhertotellthetruth. conscience noun con·​science |\ˈkän-chən(t)s \ Medical Definitionofconscience :thepartofthesuperegoinpsychoanalysisthattransmitscommandsandadmonitionstotheego conscience adjective con·​science Legal Definitionofconscience :exemptingpersonswhosereligiousbeliefsforbidcompliance consciencelaws,whichallowphysicians…torefusetoparticipateinabortions—W.J.Curran MorefromMerriam-Websteronconscience Thesaurus:Allsynonymsandantonymsforconscience Nglish:TranslationofconscienceforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofconscienceforArabicSpeakers Britannica.com:Encyclopediaarticleaboutconscience WORDOFTHEDAY benign SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! 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