conscientious
kon-shee-EN-shus
/ˌkɒn.ʃiˈen.ʃəs/
Wishing to do one's work or duty thoroughly and correctly, guided by a strong moral sense.
Combines diligence with moral responsibility and personal honor.
The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'conscire', meaning to be conscious of wrong or to know within oneself. A conscientious person acts according to internal knowledge of what is right, ensuring that work is done with complete honesty and thoroughness.
Word relationships
- dutiful: Dutiful stresses obedience to obligations, while conscientious stresses inner moral drive.
- honorable: Honorable focuses on reputation and ethical principles rather than work habits.
- irresponsible: Irresponsible means lacking a sense of duty or care.
- unscrupulous: Unscrupulous means lacking moral principles.
Commonly confused with
- conscious: Conscious means awake and aware, whereas conscientious means guided by conscience and duty.
Word family
- conscience (noun): An inner sense of right and wrong.
- conscientiously (adverb): In a thorough and moral manner.
- conscientiousness (noun): The quality of being thorough and principled.
Collocations
- conscientious objector
- conscientious worker
- conscientious effort
- conscientious study
Idioms & expressions
- guided by conscience
Example sentences
- "As a conscientious officer, she refused to sign off on safety reports without inspecting the site personally." Professional evaluation
- "His conscientious approach to studying earned him consistent top marks." Academic reference
Memory hook
CONSCIENCE + IOUS: full of conscience and moral responsibility in your work. Driven by internal conscience.
When not to use
Avoid when referring purely to physical energy without a sense of moral obligation.
Fun facts
- In psychology, 'Conscientiousness' is one of the 'Big Five' personality traits.
Related words
Explore more words
scrupulous, principled, punctilious, integrity, fastidious, rigorous
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