Words / B2

KONSH-uh-ns/ˈkɒnʃəns/

Conscience is the inner sense of right and wrong: a guilty conscience, a matter of conscience. It is a noun. Guilt is the feeling after a wrong; morals is the broader system. In speech, I could not live with myself is the picture. Do not confuse conscience with conscious (adjective: awake or aware). A conscience pricks; you are conscious of a noise. The pair is a classic spelling trap.

Meaning

The inner sense of right and wrong.

Examples

• “His conscience would not let him lie.”
• “His conscience would not let him mark work he had not read.”
• “She voted with her conscience, not with the loudest group in the room.”

Good to know

Noun: inner sense of right and wrong. Everyday: I could not live with it. Contrast: conscious = aware/awake (adjective). Classic mix-up.

Near in meaning

guilt

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