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conscience

noun

Definition of consciencenext
as in mind
one's internal sense of right and wrong Her conscience told her to find the lost wallet's owner.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conscience Those executive departments and agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by, for example, loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes and making discretionary grants. — Deena Zaru, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Murdoch, meanwhile, wonders if his bold new hire has gone too far — and emerges, somewhat surprisingly, as this story’s dry, wary conscience. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 The attack compounds his sense of exclusion, his already guilty conscience. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 With the married couple of Robert and Camille Sims careening off onto very different moral trajectories, Camille must confront troubling truths as her conscience plummets into the pits of Hades, while Robert is on a profound journey of salvation. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conscience
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conscience
  1. mind
  2. morality
  3. values
  4. scruples
  5. standards
  6. heart
  7. character
Noun
  • This is classic game theory that calls to mind the chilling 1950s debates over second strikes and counterforce.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Detailed in the script, Carrie crushes the spewing water pipes with her mind, but the folks manning the on-and-off switches aren’t yet in sync.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of mind
Noun
  • The McLuhanite in me wants to stick to the first interpretation, in which the apparent shift in shame is a matter of morality getting funnelled through a new medium.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Swift was born into the Anglo-Irish Protestant elite, and the text satires both the callousness of his class and a then-ascendant approach to morality and politics that held that all aspects of life could be cooked down to a pure numerical value.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of morality
Noun
  • One of you may value freedom while the other values predictability.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • As baseball owners prepare for a lockout, in a push for the salary cap that would drive franchise values higher, insiders anticipate the MLB expansion fee could settle around or even above the $4 billion range.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of values
Noun
  • Hilton rejects the argument floated by some of his former colleagues that his scruples became a casualty of his ambition.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Still, there are some smart, well-meaning voices of caution who warn Democrats against forgetting their scruples.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Definition of scruples
Noun
  • Brand standards ensure spectacular services and top notch amenities and comfort.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Residents will have a chance to weigh in Saturday during a community meeting for the downtown Lincoln master plan and its objective design and development standards.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of standards
Noun
  • To lead a child to a gas chamber demands a hardness of heart that must be cultivated.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • To Longwell, such statements suggest that voters don’t want politicians to force them to choose between their hearts and their fears.
    — Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of heart
Noun
  • However, the irregular architecture, surviving wooden beams, and 15th-century chapel lend certain spaces genuine local character.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Those scenes play as if the screenwriters gave up on trying to resolve the twisty plot, instead just making their characters tell all, leaving the film’s denouement much less engrossing than its setup.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of character

Browse Nearby Words

consanguineous
conscience
conscientious
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Cite this Entry

“Conscience.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conscience. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on conscience

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about conscience

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