scruple.

1. A doubt or hesitation arising from concern that an action may be wrong.

2. To hesitate or feel unwilling to do something because of moral doubt.

3. A unit in the apothecaries' weight system equal to twenty grains.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• have scruples about
• without scruple
• a moral scruple

On the page

A scruple he could not explain kept him from reading the last page.

She had no scruples about lying to the guards, but she would not lie to the child.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychological / character. Forms: Singular scruple; plural scruples. Verb forms: scruple; scruples; scrupled; scrupled; scrupling. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: scruples.