conscience

conscience — noun

1. the internal sense inside a person that judges if their behaviour is good or bad

1.名詞B2
釋義

the internal sense inside a person that judges if their behaviour is good or bad and produces a feeling of guilt whenever they do something wrong

例句

Isabela could not take the money because her conscience told her it was stealing.

conscience + tell [person] + clause — moral judgment expressed as speech

A guilty conscience kept Hao awake after he lied to his mother about the vase.

collocation: guilty conscience

同義詞
  • moral sense

    more formal and less emotional than 'conscience'; used in philosophy

  • inner voice

    a more poetic or metaphorical term; conscience is the actual faculty, not just a momentary feeling

  • sense of right and wrong

    a descriptive phrase rather than a single-word synonym; broader and less personal

文法句型

often used with possessive adjective: my/his/her/their conscience

conscience + tell(s) + [person] + clause

用法筆記

Frequently used with possessive adjectives (my conscience, his conscience). Common fixed expressions include 'guilty conscience' (feeling bad about something wrong you did) and 'clear conscience' (feeling that you have done nothing wrong). The moral judgment is often described as speaking to the person: 'my conscience tells me…'

常見錯誤

❌My conscious tells me it is wrong.
✅My conscience tells me it is wrong.
💡'conscious' is an adjective meaning 'awake or aware'; 'conscience' is the noun for the inner moral sense.
❌I have conscience.
✅I have a conscience.' or 'My conscience tells me…
💡the noun is typically used with a possessive adjective or article, not bare.

2. the practice of acting according to what you believe is right and good, particul

2.名詞C1
釋義

the practice of acting according to what you believe is right and good, particularly when doing so requires personal courage or sacrifice

例句

Ravindra refused to work for the tobacco company as a matter of conscience.

phrase: a matter of conscience

Élise followed her conscience and told the truth, even though it cost her job.

pattern: follow one's conscience

同義詞
  • moral principle

    refers to a specific rule or belief rather than the internal faculty itself

  • conviction

    a firmly held belief, often political or religious; stronger than conscience in suggesting defiance

  • conscientiousness

    the quality of being careful and thorough, more about diligence than moral rightness

文法句型

often in the phrase 'a matter of conscience'

verb + according to one's conscience

用法筆記

Often appears in the fixed phrase 'a matter of conscience' to state that a decision is based on moral principle. Also common in 'prisoner of conscience' — a person imprisoned for their political or religious beliefs.

常見錯誤

❌He did it by conscience.
✅He did it according to his conscience.' or 'He did it as a matter of conscience.
💡'by conscience' is not idiomatic; use 'according to' or 'as a matter of'.

3. an uncomfortable feeling of guilt or regret that comes from knowing you did some

3.名詞B2
釋義

an uncomfortable feeling of guilt or regret that comes from knowing you did something wrong or neglected a responsibility you should have met

例句

Minh felt a pang of conscience after lying about where he had been that evening.

collocation: pang of conscience

Ava's conscience bothered her for days after she said something cruel to her younger sister.

conscience + bother [person] — the feeling as an active force

同義詞
  • guilt

    a more direct emotional word; 'conscience' in this sense implies the feeling arises from your own moral judgment, whereas 'guilt' can also be imposed by others

  • remorse

    deeper and includes regret and a wish to undo the harm; conscience may be present without full remorse

  • compunction

    a formal term for a slight feeling of guilt; narrower and less common

文法句型

often in the phrase 'a pang/twinge of conscience'

conscience + bothers/troubles/weighs on

用法筆記

Common in the fixed expressions 'a pang/twinge of conscience' (a sudden brief guilty feeling) and 'a guilty conscience'. This sense focuses on the painful feeling itself rather than the moral faculty that produces it — distinguish from Sense 1 by whether the focus is on the inner judge (Sense 1) or the resulting discomfort (Sense 3).

常見錯誤

❌I have a guilty conscience for eating the cake.' (when the feeling is mild)
✅I felt a pang of conscience after eating the cake.
💡'a guilty conscience' suggests a lasting burden; for a momentary feeling, use 'a pang/twinge of conscience.'