conscience
n.-
1 moral sense (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe part of your mind that makes you feel guilty when you do something wrong.
the internal faculty that distinguishes right from wrong, often acting as a guide for ethical behaviour.
ExampleHis conscience bothered him for days after he lied to his best friend.
ExampleThe whistleblower acted out of a sense of conscience, choosing to expose the corruption despite the potential risk to his career.
UsageOften used with adjectives like 'guilty', 'clear', or 'troubled'.
PitfallHe was not conscious of his conscience.He had a guilty conscience.Do not confuse the noun 'conscience' (moral sense) with the adjective 'conscious' (awake/aware).
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2 personification of morality (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatean imaginary voice or person that represents your sense of right and wrong.
the personification of the moral sense, frequently depicted in literature or media as an external voice or figure.
ExampleIn the movie, a small character sits on his shoulder acting as his conscience.
ExampleThe protagonist's conscience is represented by a recurring spectral figure that challenges his increasingly unethical decisions.
- inner voice
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3 awareness or thought (n.) C2 Proficiency Archaic Literaryan old-fashioned way to say 'consciousness' or being aware of something.
the state of being aware or conscious of one's own thoughts or surroundings.
ExampleThe old book spoke of a man losing his conscience of the world around him.
ExampleIn this archaic context, the term refers not to morality but to the simple conscience of one's own existence.
UsageFound primarily in historical texts or classical literature.
From Middle English conscience, from Old French conscience, from Latin conscientia (“knowledge within oneself”), from consciens, present participle of conscire (“to know, to be conscious (of wrong)”), from com- (“together”) + scire (“to know”).
- Nounconscience
- Adjectiveconscientious