noun
1. A feeling that keeps you from acting on something. We usually blame this on conscience.
His scruples prevented him from participating in the actual killings, but didn't prevent him from helping her hide the bodies.
2. An excuse you use to get out of doing something you didn't want to do in the first place.
I was going to go to Bingo with Aunt Maggie, but I have a scruple about gambling.
3. A stupid fear about doing something you might actually enjoy.
There's nothing to winning, really. That is, if you happen to be blessed with a keen eye, an agile mind, and no scruples whatsoever. - Alfred Hitchcock
Synonyms: anxiety, caution, compunction, conscience, difficulty, excuse, faltering, hesitancy, hesitation, pause, perplexity, qualms, reconsideration, reluctance, reluctancy, second thought, squeamishness, superego, uneasiness.
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