scruples

Noun

Meaning

motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions

Source: WordNet

Synonyms

morality ethics conscience reluctance hesitation qualm compunction probity moral sense sense of right and wrong

Hypernyms

morality ethics morals ethical motive

Hyponyms

superego sense of duty small voice sense of shame voice of conscience wee small voice

Phrases with the word

have scruples about without scruples having scruples about

Examples

There is nothing to winning, really. That is, if you happen to be blessed with a keen eye, an agile mind, and no scruples whatsoever. Alfred Hitchcock

It's unpleasant to find that what you had thought of as moral scruples suddenly seem not quite so important in the face of a stack of money. John Varley

I've often thought that my scruples about stealing books were the only thing that stood in the way of my being a really great scholar. Malcolm Bradbury

MacAllister commented recently that Plato was right, that democracy is mob rule, that the voters can be counted on consistently to find the candidate with the fewest scruples and put him in office. Jack McDevitt

You think me ambitious: ambition, alas! is composed of more rugged materials. If I were ambitious, I should not for so many years have been a prey to all the hell of conscientious scruples. Horace Walpole

Modern capitalism has as little use for liberum arbitrium [undisciplined] persons as laborers as it has for the businessman fully without scruples in the running of his company. Max Weber

Close letter words and terms

scrupleless scruplelessness scrupler scruplesome scrupulist scrupulize