Synonyms of scruple

scruple 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈskrü-pəl 

1

as in shred

a very small amount

went about her business without even a scruple of suspicion

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shred
• hint
• speck
• sprinkling
• glimmer
• touch
• splash
• bit
• little
• lick
• particle
• trace
• suspicion
• scintilla
• tad
• ounce
• dram
• spark
• handful
• dab
• smell
• spatter
• pinch
• streak
• smack
• crumb
• fleck
• sliver
• strain
• mite
• minimum
• soupçon
• ray
• smidgen
• peanuts
• driblet
• drop in the bucket
• bite
• nip
• shadow
• dash
• grain
• shade
• whit
• spot
• drop
• iota
• ace
• taste
• portion
• dose
• modicum
• vestige
• semblance
• jot
• syllable
• mote
• skosh
• morsel
• snap
• minim
• atom
• fragment
• tittle
• nibble
• molecule
• part
• scrap
• dot
• hoot
• granule
• shiver
• scattering
• patch
• section
• flake
• smattering
• smatter
• tatter
• flyspeck
• splinter
• shard
• nubbin
• paring
• shaving
• clipping
• chip
• smithereens
• shot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quantity
• mass
• wealth
• plenty
• abundance
• lot
• deal
• bushel
• mess
• pile
• profusion
• loads
• heaps
• bundle
• mountain
• bucket
• peck
• stack
• barrel
• fistful
• raft
• wad
• volume
• excess
• reams
• embarrassment
• surplus
• lashings
• superfluity
• gobs
• boatload
• potful
• scads
• superabundance
• oodles
• much
• passel
• overflow
• overabundance
• surfeit
• overage
• oversupply
• slab
• overmuch
• lump
• bonanza
• chunk
• overkill
• hunk

2

as in speck

a very small piece

left just a scruple of asparagus on the plate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• speck
• particle
• bit
• shred
• fleck
• grain
• scrap
• mouthful
• crumb
• mote
• snippet
• patch
• sliver
• morsel
• lick
• atom
• molecule
• dribble
• tittle
• trace
• snip
• whisper
• granule
• fragment
• drop
• bite
• suspicion
• pinch
• nugget
• ounce
• iota
• fraction
• whit
• flyspeck
• dash
• modicum
• taste
• nubbin
• jot
• halfpenny
• touch
• nibble
• smidgen
• streak
• portion
• minim
• shard
• mite
• strain
• smatter
• section
• shiver
• dab
• flake
• driblet
• tidbit
• ha'penny
• splinter
• part
• nutshell
• kenning
• spot
• ace
• clipping
• paring
• shaving
• haet
• chip
• smithereens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slab
• lump
• quantity
• chunk
• mass
• wealth
• volume
• abundance
• deal
• bushel
• hunk
• gob
• pile
• profusion
• heaps
• pot
• loads
• mountain
• bucket
• barrel
• stack
• raft
• peck
• wad
• scads

scruple

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in doubt

an uneasy feeling about the rightness of what one is doing or going to do

the survey showed that many students had few scruples about cheating on papers or exams

Synonyms & Similar Words

• doubt
• compunction
• qualm
• objection
• regret
• misgiving
• remorse
• guilt
• conscience
• question
• suspicion
• uncertainty
• distrust
• skepticism
• reluctance
• mistrust
• reservation
• unease
• uneasiness
• unwillingness
• misdoubt
• dubiety
• remonstrance
• indisposition
• protest
• incertitude
• disinclination
• demur
• contrition
• shame
• penitence
• uncertainness
• repentance
• self-reproach
• aversion
• fuss
• qualmishness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conviction
• certainty
• assurance
• confidence
• certitude
• sureness
• aplomb
• self-confidence
• self-assurance

scruple

3 of 3

verb

as in to hesitate

to show uncertainty about the right course of action

a tabloid journalist who has never scrupled to reveal the most intimate details about the lives of celebrities

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hesitate
• falter
• vacillate
• debate
• dither
• waver
• hang back
• wait
• stagger
• pause
• halt
• balance
• shilly-shally
• wobble
• sway
• haw
• delay
• teeter
• deliberate
• dawdle
• procrastinate
• hem
• linger
• ponder
• weigh
• equivocate
• back down
• consider
• chicken (out)
• hedge
• waffle
• oscillate
• pussyfoot
• dally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decide
• stir
• plunge (in)
• dive (in)
• continue
• advance
• budge

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun scruple differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of scruple are compunction, demur, and qualm. While all these words mean "a misgiving about what one is doing or going to do," scruple implies doubt of the rightness of an act on grounds of principle.

no scruples against buying stolen goods

In what contexts can compunction take the place of scruple?

The meanings of compunction and scruple largely overlap; however, compunction implies a spontaneous feeling of responsibility or compassion for a potential victim.

had compunctions about lying

Where would demur be a reasonable alternative to scruple?

Although the words demur and scruple have much in common, demur implies hesitation caused by objection to an outside suggestion or influence.

accepted her decision without demur

When could qualm be used to replace scruple?

The synonyms qualm and scruple are sometimes interchangeable, but qualm implies an uneasy fear that one is not following one's conscience or better judgment.

no qualms about plagiarizing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scruple

Noun

But we’re invited to see him as, despite these foibles, amusing and retaining, and his cynicism about everything and his lack of moral scruple is—actually, we’re invited to see this as a kind of higher wisdom. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

But the squirrelly, middle-aged guy at the weird surplus store in northern Florida had no such scruples. — Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026

Sometimes, a billionaire has very questionable scruples as to the best ways to go about things. — Jevon Phillips, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026

These firms now pay their rainmakers like Wall Street stars and have dropped their courtly scruples for relentless commercialism. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 5 Feb. 2026