1
as in shred
a very small amount
went about her business without even a scruple of suspicion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in speck
a very small piece
left just a scruple of asparagus on the plate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scruple
David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2025
Luckily Florida has no such scruples.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Incensed at being outsmarted, the CEO of Weyland-Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindive) allows one of her employees, a cyborg with very few scruples named Morrow (Babou Ceesay), to use any means necessary to reacquire the biological specimens.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
At this point in its history, the theory goes, the United States requires a willful and largely unaccountable power to impose changes that leaders with more delicate sensibilities and procedural scruples cannot ever accomplish.
—Russell Muirhead, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
This film for me is about morals and scruples and what people will do or won’t do for money.
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Mitevska clearly has no such scruples.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Seen against the backdrop of recent events, Vought’s disdain for the rule-of-law scruples of Federalist Society legal thinkers seems entirely in line with Trump’s recent post suggesting a federal judge shouldn’t have authority over his administration.
—Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2025
Leon Del Forno: Yes, considering there are fewer examples of creative directors with long tenures, and brands and groups now have fewer scruples about changing creative directors.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
For Jay Gatsby, a man of immense wealth and few scruples, almost nothing is beyond his voracious appetite for excess.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2025
Luckily Florida has no such scruples.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Incensed at being outsmarted, the CEO of Weyland-Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindive) allows one of her employees, a cyborg with very few scruples named Morrow (Babou Ceesay), to use any means necessary to reacquire the biological specimens.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
At this point in its history, the theory goes, the United States requires a willful and largely unaccountable power to impose changes that leaders with more delicate sensibilities and procedural scruples cannot ever accomplish.
—Russell Muirhead, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
This film for me is about morals and scruples and what people will do or won’t do for money.
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Mitevska clearly has no such scruples.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Seen against the backdrop of recent events, Vought’s disdain for the rule-of-law scruples of Federalist Society legal thinkers seems entirely in line with Trump’s recent post suggesting a federal judge shouldn’t have authority over his administration.
—Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2025
Leon Del Forno: Yes, considering there are fewer examples of creative directors with long tenures, and brands and groups now have fewer scruples about changing creative directors.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 4 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scruple
Verb
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Blashill didn’t hesitate to go right back to Knight after the goalie’s first poor performance of the season Thursday night in Winnipeg.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The Nashville forward was awarded the PK after Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo hesitated coming off his line and was called for a foul.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After Ohtani faltered, the game was the Blue Jays’ to lose, but the Dodgers kept pecking away.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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And when New York falters, the ripple effects are often national.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scruple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scruple. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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