conscientious
Americanadjective
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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.
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careful and painstaking; particular; meticulous; scrupulous.
conscientious application to the work at hand.
adjective
-
involving or taking great care; painstaking; diligent
-
governed by or done according to conscience
Related Words
See painstaking.
Other Word Forms
- conscientiously adverb
- conscientiousness noun
- hyperconscientious adjective
- hyperconscientiously adverb
- hyperconscientiousness noun
- overconscientious adjective
- overconscientiously adverb
- unconscientious adjective
- unconscientiously adverb
- unconscientiousness noun
Etymology
Origin of conscientious
First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin conscientiōsus, equivalent to Latin conscienti(a) conscience + -ōsus -ous
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.
Still, that will depend on lawmakers, regulators, and conscientious customers opposing this with all they’ve got, and soon.
From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026
"You have to be mindful and conscientious," she said, noting that last year's hosting gig in the shadow of deadly fires that devastated Los Angeles was a case in point.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it was "important to find the right balance between deterring what is blatant and reckless vandalism of this beautiful landscape, with the enjoyment of the thousands of conscientious visitors".
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
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.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
Dedicated, absorbed, and conscientious, she was soon promoted and began part-time studies at the Aviation Institute in Leningrad.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
