adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/ˌkɒn.ʃiˈɛn.ʃəs/
US:/ˌkɑn.ʃiˈɛn.ʃəs/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AA2 N SH IY0 EH1 N SH AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Thorough, careful, or vigilant in one’s task performance; painstaking.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
He was a thoughtful and conscientious worker.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Influenced by conscience; principled; governed by a strict regard to the dictates of conscience, or by the known or supposed rules of right and wrong (said of a person).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The advice of wise and conscientious people.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: faithful
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right and wrong
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a conscientious decision to speak out about injustice
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: unconscientious
4
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
characterized by extreme care and great effort
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
conscientious application to the work at hand
painstaking research
scrupulous attention to details
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: painstaking, scrupulous
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle French conscientieux, from Medieval Latin cōnscientiōsus. Its English equivalent could possibly be analyzed as conscient + -ous. See more at conscience.
Across languages
Translations
56 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
добросъвестен
(dobrosǎvesten)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Bulgarian:
съвестен
(sǎvesten)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Chinese Mandarin:
认真的
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Chinese Mandarin:
投入的
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Czech:
svědomitý
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Danish:
samvittighedsfuld
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Danish:
pligtopfyldende
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Dutch:
consciëntieus
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Dutch:
nauwgezet
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Dutch:
plichtsbewust
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Dutch:
zorgvuldig
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Esperanto:
konscienca
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Finnish:
tunnollinen
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Finnish:
tunnontarkka
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
French:
consciencieux
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
German:
gewissenhaft
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Greek:
ευσυνείδητος
(efsyneíditos)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Ancient Greek:
εὐσυνείδητος
(eusuneídētos)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Hungarian:
lelkiismeretes
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Icelandic:
samviskusamur
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Italian:
coscienzioso
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Latin:
pius
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Latvian:
apzinīgi
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Māori:
urupū
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Norwegian Bokmål:
samvittighetsfull
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Norwegian Nynorsk:
samvitsfull
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Persian:
باوجدان
(bâvojdân)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Persian:
وظیفهشناس
(vazife-šenâs)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Polish:
skrupulatny
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Polish:
sumienny
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Portuguese:
consciencioso
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Romanian:
conștiincios
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Russian:
добросо́вестный
(dobrosóvestnyj)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Russian:
созна́тельный
(soznátelʹnyj)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Russian:
че́стный
(čéstnyj)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Serbo-Croatian:
са́вестан
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Serbo-Croatian:
са́вјестан
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Serbo-Croatian:
sávestan
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Serbo-Croatian:
sávjestan
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Sicilian:
cuscinziusu
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Spanish:
concienzudo
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Swedish:
samvetsgrann
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Swedish:
plikttrogen
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Ukrainian:
сумлі́нний
(sumlínnyj)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Ukrainian:
добросо́вісний
(dobrosóvisnyj)
— thorough, careful, or vigilant
Bulgarian:
съзнателен
(sǎznatelen)
— influenced by conscience
Dutch:
consciëntieus
— influenced by conscience
Dutch:
gewetensvol
— influenced by conscience
German:
Gewissens-
— influenced by conscience
German:
dem Gewissen verpflichtet
— influenced by conscience
German:
auf dem Gewissen beruhend
— influenced by conscience
Norwegian Bokmål:
samvittighetsfull
— influenced by conscience
Norwegian Nynorsk:
samvitsfull
— influenced by conscience
Swedish:
samvetsöm
— influenced by conscience
Ukrainian:
сумлі́нний
(sumlínnyj)
— influenced by conscience
Ukrainian:
добросо́вісний
(dobrosóvisnyj)
— influenced by conscience
