Synonyms for scrupulous
- adjective
Most common
careful strict conscientious painstaking fair-minded ethical dubious diffident
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Careful — exactly and carefully conducted
careful, conscientious, painstaking, strict, punctilious, meticulous, wary, precise, circumspect, thorough, cautious, rigorous, particular, mindful, accurate, delicate, fastidious, fussy, squeamish, exact, minute, exacting
2. Fair-minded — wrongly feeling guilt or anxiety about one’s morality; suffering from scrupulosity
fair-minded, religious, ethical, honorable US, honourable UK, moral, just, righteous
Other
Definitions
- adj. 1
Exactly and carefully conducted.
- adj. 2
Wrongly feeling guilt or anxiety about one’s morality; suffering from scrupulosity.
Because I have a scrupulous conscience, I sometimes need to be reminded that not everything I do is sinful.
Related words
- Word family
- scrupulosity scrupulously scrupulousness
Example sentences
- careful You should be careful in crossing the busy street.
- strict Algeria has to relax its strict economic policies.
- conscientious Tom and Mary are quite conscientious, aren't they?
- painstaking Each item was described in painstaking detail.
- ethical I don't think that it would be ethical to do that.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| scrupulous | steady | |
| careful | steady | |
| strict | steady | |
| conscientious | falling | |
| painstaking | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- just1, wary2
- 5 letters
- exact2, moral2, fussy2
- 6 letters
- minute2, strict1
- 7 letters
- careful2, worried2, precise2, ethical3, mindful2, dubious3
- 8 letters
- accurate3, thorough2, delicate3, cautious2, rigorous3, exacting3
- 9 letters
- religious3, honorable4, righteous2, squeamish2, diffident
- 10 letters
- particular4, honourable4, meticulous4, hesitating4, fastidious4
- 11 letters
- questioning3, painstaking3, circumspect3, punctilious4
- 13 letters
- conscientious4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (wary2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- scrupuleux
- Italiano
- scrupoloso
- Español
- escrupuloso