- conscience
- con|science [ˈkɔnʃəns US ˈka:n-] n [U and C][Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: Latin conscientia, from conscire 'to be conscious (of being guilty)', from com- ( COM-) + scire 'to know']1.) the part of your mind that tells you whether what you are doing is morally right or wrongguilty/troubled conscience(=a guilty feeling, because you have done something wrong)▪ It was his guilty conscience that made him offer to help.▪ Well, at least I can face them all with a clear conscience (=when you know that you have done nothing wrong) .▪ a film with a social conscience (=a moral sense of how society should be)prisoner of conscience(=someone who is in prison because of their political or religious beliefs)▪ I can't tell you what to do - it's a matter of conscience (=something that you must make a moral judgment about) .▪ a crisis of conscience among medical staff (=a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what is the right thing to do)▪ The dog's sad look pricked her conscience (=made her feel guilty) and she took him home.2.) a guilty feeling that you have about something bad you have donetwinge/pang of conscience▪ Ian felt a pang of conscience at having misjudged her.have no conscience (about sth)(=not feel guilty about something)▪ They've no conscience at all about cheating.3.) on your conscienceif you have something on your conscience, it makes you feel guilty▪ He didn't want somebody's death on his conscience.▪ Could you live with that on your conscience?4.) not in (all/good) conscienceformal if you cannot in all conscience do something, you cannot do it because you think it is wrong▪ I couldn't in all conscience tell him that his job was safe.▬▬▬▬▬▬▬HINT sense 1Do not confuse with consciousness (=the condition of being awake and aware of thoughts and feelings).▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.