scrupulous

Scrupulous is an adjective that means “having moral integrity（具有道德操守 ）” or “punctiliously exact（一丝不苟）”. It comes from Latin scrupulosus, which means “careful” or “exact”, and scrupulus, which means “a small sharp stone” or “a source of anxiety”.

A possible mnemonic to remember this word is to think of a person who is so careful and exact that they would not want to have any small stones (scruples) in their shoes.

Some example sentences with different meanings of scrupulous are:

• She was scrupulous about following the rules of conduct. (having moral integrity)

• He was scrupulous in his research and documentation. (punctiliously exact)

• She felt a scrupulous doubt about lying to her parents. (characterized by fine distinctions of doubt)

  【例如，一个严谨的人可能对不同的事物有不同程度的怀疑，这取决于这些事物如何影响他们的良心或道德。】

The explanations for these sentences are:

• She always acted in strict regard for what was right or proper.

  她总是严格按照正确或恰当的方式行事。

• He paid close attention to detail and accuracy in his work.

  他在工作中密切关注细节和准确性。

• She had a nagging feeling that prevented her from doing something wrong.

  她有一种难以摆脱的感觉，阻止她做错事。

scruple is a noun that means:

• a moral misgiving or pang of conscience

• a small sharp stone or pebble

• a unit of weight or measurement equal to 20 grains

The word scruple comes from Latin scrupulus, which means “a small sharp stone” or “uneasiness of mind”. Some say that Cicero first used the word to compare a worry to a small sharp stone in your shoe that bothers you.

A possible mnemonic for scruple is:

• Scruple sounds like screw pull. Imagine pulling out a screw from your shoe that was causing you pain and doubt.

• Scruple rhymes with pupil. Imagine a pupil who has moral doubts about cheating on an exam.