A scruple is a feeling of doubt or hesitation about doing something because it might be wrong or unfair. When you have scruples about something, your conscience speaks up and makes you pause before acting.

Imagine your friend left their test on their desk, and you could easily peek at the answers. If you feel scruples about this, that uncomfortable feeling stops you from looking. Your scruples are like an internal voice saying, “This doesn't feel right, even if I could get away with it.”

Someone without scruples doesn't let conscience or fairness guide their choices. They might lie or take advantage of others without feeling bad about it. We sometimes say such a person is unscrupulous. By contrast, a scrupulous person pays careful attention to doing what's right, even in small details. A scrupulous student returns the extra change when the cafeteria worker makes a mistake, while an unscrupulous one pockets it without a second thought.