conscience

American  

[kon-shuhns] / ˈkɒn ʃəns /

noun

1. 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.

2. the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.

3. an inhibiting sense of what is prudent.

   I'd eat another piece of pie but my conscience would bother me.

4. conscientiousness.

5. Obsolete. consciousness; self-knowledge.

6. Obsolete. strict and reverential observance.

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idioms

1. 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.

2. in all conscience, Also in conscience.

   1. in all reason and fairness.

   2. certainly; assuredly.

conscience British  

/ ˈkɒnʃəns /

noun

1. 1. the sense of right and wrong that governs a person's thoughts and actions

   2. regulation of one's actions in conformity to this sense

   3. a supposed universal faculty of moral insight

2. conscientiousness; diligence

3. a feeling of guilt or anxiety

   he has a conscience about his unkind action

4. obsolete consciousness

5. 1. with regard to truth and justice

   2. certainly

6. causing feelings of guilt or remorse

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conscience More Idioms  

1. see have a clear conscience; in conscience.

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Other Word Forms

• conscienceless adjective
• consciencelessly adverb
• consciencelessness noun
• subconscience noun

Etymology

Origin of conscience

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin conscientia “knowledge, awareness, conscience”; equivalent to con- + science

Explanation

A conscience is a built-in sense of what's right and what's wrong. That sick feeling in your stomach after you lied to your brother about borrowing his skateboard? That might be your conscience bothering you. The word conscience contains the word science, which comes from the Latin word scientia, meaning "to know" or "knowledge." You can think of your conscience as your knowledge of yourself, especially when it comes to your own morals, or your feelings about right and wrong. Pangs of conscience, which feel like an uncomfortable inner voice, are helpful when you're trying to decide the right thing to do in a particular situation.

Example Sentences

This explains why roughly 1,200 prisoners of conscience, including some 700 arrested for participating in islandwide protests against the dictatorship on July 11, 2021, remain behind bars.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

It’s the kind of rhetoric that shocks the conscience, even in a presidency defined by shock.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

But unlike that Oscar winner, “Two Prosecutors” has a man of conscience at its center — a confident crusader who becomes increasingly puny in the face of Stalin’s Soviet Union.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

“How in good conscience can managers underwrite new loans at 8% or 9% when their stocks yield 13%?” asks Klymochko.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Judge Lawrence Irving, a Reagan appointee, noted upon his retirement: “If I remain on the bench, I have no choice but to follow the law. I just can’t, in good conscience, continue to do this.”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• shame