Definitions for conscienceˈkɒn ʃəns
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word conscience
conscience, scruples, moral sense, sense of right and wrong(noun)
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
conformity to one's own sense of right conduct
"a person of unflagging conscience"
a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
"he has no conscience about his cruelty"
The moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects one's own behaviour; inwit.
A personification of the moral sense of right and wrong, usually in the form of a person, a being or merely a voice that gives moral lessons and advices.
Consciousness; thinking; awareness, especially self-awareness.
Origin: From conscience, from conscientia, from consciens, present participle of conscire, from com- + scire.
knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness
the faculty, power, or inward principle which decides as to the character of one's own actions, purposes, and affections, warning against and condemning that which is wrong, and approving and prompting to that which is right; the moral faculty passing judgment on one's self; the moral sense
the estimate or determination of conscience; conviction or right or duty
tenderness of feeling; pity
Origin: [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p. pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgment may derive from values or norms. In psychological terms conscience is often described as leading to feelings of remorse when a human commits actions that go against his/her moral values and to feelings of rectitude or integrity when actions conform to such norms. The extent to which conscience informs moral judgment before an action and whether such moral judgments are or should be based in reason has occasioned debate through much of the history of Western philosophy. Religious views of conscience usually see it as linked to a morality inherent in all humans, to a beneficent universe and/or to divinity. The diverse ritualistic, mythical, doctrinal, legal, institutional and material features of religion may not necessarily cohere with experiential, emotive, spiritual or contemplative considerations about the origin and operation of conscience. Common secular or scientific views regard the capacity for conscience as probably genetically determined, with its subject probably learned or imprinted as part of a culture.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
kon′shens, n. the knowledge of our own acts and feelings as right or wrong: sense of duty: scrupulousness: (Shak.) understanding: the faculty or principle by which we distinguish right from wrong.—adjs. Con′science-proof, unvisited by any compunctions of conscience; Con′science-smit′ten, stung by conscience; Conscien′tious, regulated by a regard to conscience: scrupulous.—adv. Conscien′tiously.—n. Conscien′tiousness.—adj. Con′scionable, governed or regulated by conscience.—n. Con′scionableness.—adv. Con′scionably.—Conscience clause, a clause in a law, affecting religious matters, to relieve persons of conscientious scruples, esp. one to prevent their children being compelled to undergo particular religious instruction; Conscience money, money given to relieve the conscience, by discharging a claim previously evaded; Case of conscience, a question in casuistry.—Good, or Bad, conscience, an approving or reproving conscience.—In all conscience, certainly: (coll.) by all that is right and fair.—Make a matter of conscience, to act according to conscience: to have scruples about.—My conscience! a vulgar exclamation of astonishment, or an asseveration.—Speak one's conscience (Shak.), to speak frankly: to give one's opinion. [Fr.,—L. conscientia, knowledge—conscīre, to know well—con, and scīre, to know.]
The Roycroft Dictionary
1. The muzzle of the will. 2. The Pecksniffian mask of the fundamental Bill Sykes. 3. The aspiration of Rosinante to be Pegasus.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
The cognitive and affective processes which constitute an internalized moral governor over an individual's moral conduct.
The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz
The fear of being found out.
British National Corpus
Rank popularity for the word 'conscience' in Nouns Frequency: #2352
The numerical value of conscience in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
The numerical value of conscience in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Sample Sentences & Example Usage
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Translations for conscience
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- ضمير, طويةArabic
- совесць, сумленнеBelarusian
- südametunnistus, süümeEstonian
- cogaisScottish Gaelic
- ज़मीर, विवेक, अन्तरात्माHindi
- 양심, 良心Korean
- savest, savjestSerbo-Croatian
- совість, сумлінняUkrainian
- lương tâm, 良心Vietnamese
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