1
as in specks
a very small amount
went about her business without even a scruple of suspicion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in particles
a very small piece
left just a scruple of asparagus on the plate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in doubts
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 hesitates
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 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
Mainstream Republicans and right-leaning unaffiliated voters will gravitate to candidates with experience and scruples.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Noun
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
Mainstream Republicans and right-leaning unaffiliated voters will gravitate to candidates with experience and scruples.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scruples
Verb
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Though Pollan hesitates to claim that a fundamental aspect of human capability and human experience remains beyond science’s reach, A World Appears closely maps out such a territory.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
11 Mar. 2026
-
If a planner hesitates or hedges on this question, consider that a red flag.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If the economy falters, political pressure on the president will build.—
Nancy Cook,
Bloomberg,
25 Mar. 2026
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The goal is to complete this as one continuous set, but drop to your knees and/or take breaks if your form falters at any point.—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scruples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scruples. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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