Definition of conscientious
- a conscientious listener
- a conscientious public servant
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She has always been a very conscientious worker.
He was conscientious about following the doctor's orders.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conscientious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to American writer and editor H.L. Mencken, "Conscience is the inner voice which warns us someone may be looking." A person who is conscientious makes sure that if others are watching, they like what they see. "Conscience" and "conscientious" both come from the Latin verb conscire, a word that means "to be conscious" or "to be conscious of guilt" and that traces back to a still older Latin word, scire, meaning "to know."
careful, fussy, loving, meticulous, painstaking, scrupulous;
heedless, inattentive, incautious, mindless, unguarded, unsafe, unwary;
lax, neglectful, negligent, slipshod, sloppy, slovenly;
inaccurate, uncritical, undemanding, undiscriminating;
assiduous, diligent, indefatigable, persevering, sedulous;
exhaustive, thorough, thoroughgoing;
alert, attentive, observant, vigilant, watchful;
accurate, exact, precise, strict;
critical, demanding, discriminating, exacting, fastidious, finicky, particular;
cautious, chary, circumspect, gingerly, guarded, heedful, mindful, wary;
all-out, determined, dogged, intensive, patient, tenacious, tireless, zealous;
: very careful about doing what you are supposed to do : concerned with doing something correctly
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for conscientious Spanish Central: Translation of conscientious Nglish: Translation of conscientious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of conscientious for Arabic speakers
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