scruple

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: scru=ple

CIDE DICTIONARY

scruple, n. [L. scrupulus a small sharp or pointed stone, the twenty-fourth part of an ounce, a scruple, uneasiness, doubt, dim. of scrupus a rough or sharp stone, anxiety, uneasiness; perh. akin to Gr. the chippings of stone, a razor, Skr. kshura: cf. F. scrupule.].

•  A weight of twenty grains; the third part of a dram.  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, a very small quantity; a particle.  [1913 Webster]

  "I will not bate thee a scruple."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hesitation as to action from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; unwillingness, doubt, or hesitation proceeding from motives of conscience.  [1913 Webster]

  "He was made miserable by the conflict between his tastes and his scruples."  [1913 Webster]

To make scruple, to hesitate from conscientious motives; to scruple. Locke.

scruple, v. i. 

 To be reluctant or to hesitate, as regards an action, on account of considerations of conscience or expedience.  [1913 Webster]
"We are often over-precise, scrupling to say or do those things which lawfully we may."  [1913 Webster]
"Men scruple at the lawfulness of a set form of divine worship."  [1913 Webster]

scruple, v. t. 

•  To regard with suspicion; to hesitate at; to question.  [1913 Webster]

  "Others long before them . . . scrupled more the books of heretics than of gentiles."  [1913 Webster]
•  To excite scruples in; to cause to scruple.  [1913 Webster]

  "Letters which did still scruple many of them."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

scruple, n. & v.
--n.
1 (in sing. or pl.) a regard to the morality or propriety of an action. b a feeling of doubt or hesitation caused by this.
2 Brit. hist. an apothecaries' weight of 20 grains.
3 archaic a very small quantity.
--v.intr.
1 (foll. by to + infin.; usu. with neg.) be reluctant because of scruples (did not scruple to stop their allowance).
2 feel or be influenced by scruples.

Etymology

F scrupule or L scrupulus f. scrupus rough pebble, anxiety

THESAURUS

scruple

Pyrrhonism, ace, apprehension, atom, awake a doubt, back down, balance, balk, balk at, bashfulness, be diffident, be doubtful, be dubious, be skeptical, be uncertain, beef, better self, bit, bitch, blench, boggle, boggling, boycott, call in question, challenge, complain, complaint, compunction, conscience, conscientiousness, contest, cry out against, dab, debate, deliberate, demonstrate, demonstrate against, demonstration, demur, demurral, demurrer, diffidence, discomfort, dispute, distrust, distrustfulness, dole, dot, doubt, doubtfulness, dram, dribble, driblet, dubiety, dubiousness, dwarf, enter a protest, exception, expostulate, expostulation, falter, faltering, farthing, fastidiousness, fear, fight shy of, fleck, flinch, flyspeck, fragment, fret, gag, gobbet, grain, granule, greet with skepticism, grievance, grievance committee, groat, hair, half believe, half-belief, handful, hang back, hang off, harbor suspicions, have qualms, have reservations, hem and haw, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitate, hesitation, hold off, holler, hover, howl, hum and haw, indignation meeting, iota, jib, jot, kick, leeriness, little, little bit, lota, make bones about, march, meticulousness, minim, minimum, minutiae, misdoubt, misgive, misgiving, mistrust, mistrustfulness, mite, modesty, modicum, molecule, mote, nonviolent protest, nutshell, object, objection, ounce, overconscientiousness, overscrupulousness, pangs, pangs of conscience, particle, pause, pebble, picket, picketing, pinch, pittance, point, point of honor, ponder, press objections, pricking of heart, protest, protest demonstration, protestation, pull back, punctilio, punctiliousness, quail, qualm, qualm of conscience, qualmishness, qualms, query, question, raise a howl, raise a question, rally, recoil, reconsideration, reluctance, remonstrance, remonstrate, remonstration, retreat, scrap, scruples, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, second thought, second thoughts, self-doubt, shadow of doubt, shilly-shally, shred, shrink, shrink from, shrinking, shy, shy at, shyness, sit in, sit-in, skepticalness, skepticism, smell a rat, smidgen, smitch, speck, spoonful, spot, squawk, squeamishness, state a grievance, stick, stick at, stickle, stickling, stop to consider, straddle the fence, strain, strain at, strike, stumble, suspect, suspicion, suspiciousness, teach in, teach-in, thimbleful, think twice about, throes, throw doubt upon, tiny bit, tittle, total skepticism, touch of conscience, treat with reserve, trifling amount, trivia, twinge of conscience, uncertainty, uneasiness, vacillate, voice of conscience, wariness, waver, whit, wince, withdraw, worry, yell bloody murder, yield

ROGET THESAURUS

scruple

Unwillingness

N unwillingness, indisposition, indisposedness, disinclination, aversation, nolleity, nolition, renitence, renitency, reluctance, indifference, backwardness, slowness, want of alacrity, want of readiness, indocility, scrupulousness, scrupulosity, qualms of conscience, twinge of conscience, delicacy, demur, scruple, qualm, shrinking, recoil, hesitation, fastidiousness, averseness, dissent, refusal, unwilling, not in the vein, loth, loath, shy of, disinclined, indisposed, averse, reluctant, not content, adverse, laggard, backward, remiss, slack, slow to, indifferent, scrupulous, squeamish, repugnant, restiff, restive, demurring, unconsenting, involuntary, unwillingly, grudgingly, with a heavy heart, with a bad, with an ill grace, against one's wishes, against one's will, against the grain, sore against one's wishes, sore against one's will, sore against one's grain, invita Minerva, a contre caeur, malgre soi, in spite of one's teeth, in spite of oneself, nolens volens, perforce, under protest, no, not for the world, far be it from me.

VB be unwilling, nill, dislike, grudge, begrudge, not be able to find it in one's heart to, not have the stomach to, demur, stick at, scruple, stickle, hang fire, run rusty, recoil, shrink, swerve, hesitate, avoid, oppose, dissent, refuse.

Absence of Motive

VB have no motive, scruple.

Smallness

N smallness, littleness, tenuity, paucity, fewness, meanness, insignificance (unimportance), mediocrity, moderation, small quantity, modicum, trace, hint, minimum, vanishing point, material point, atom, particle, molecule, corpuscle, point, speck, dot, mote, jot, iota, ace, minutiae, details, look, thought, idea, soupcon, dab, dight, whit, tittle, shade, shadow, spark, scintilla, gleam, touch, cast, grain, scruple, granule, globule, minim, sup, sip, sop, spice, drop, droplet, sprinkling, dash, morceau, screed, smack, tinge, tincture, inch, patch, scantling, tatter, cantlet, flitter, gobbet, mite, bit, morsel, crumb, seed, fritter, shive, snip, snippet, snick, snack, snatch, slip, scrag, chip, chipping, shiver, sliver, driblet, clipping, paring, shaving, hair, nutshell, thimbleful, spoonful, handful, capful, mouthful, fragment, fraction, drop in the ocean, animalcule, trifle, mere nothing, next to nothing, hardly anything, just enough to swear by, the shadow of a shade, finiteness, finite quantity, small, little, diminutive, minute, fine, inconsiderable, paltry, faint, slender, light, slight, scanty, scant, limited, meager, sparing, few, low, so-so, middling, tolerable, no great shakes, below par, under par, below the mark, at a low ebb, halfway, moderate, modest, tender, subtle, inappreciable, evanescent, infinitesimal, homeopathic, very small, atomic, corpuscular, microscopic, molecular, subatomic, mere, simple, sheer, stark, bare, near run, dull, petty, shallow, stolid, ungifted, unintelligent, to a small extent, on a small scale, a little bit, a wee bit, slightly, imperceptibly, miserably, wretchedly, insufficiently, imperfectly, faintly, passably, pretty well, well enough, partially, in part, in a certain degree, to a certain degree, to a certain extent, comparatively, some, rather in some degree, in some measure, something, somewhat, simply, only, purely, merely, at least, at the least, at most, at the most, ever so little, as little as may be, tant soit peu, in ever so small a degree, thus far, pro tanto, within bounds, in a manner, after a fashion, so to speak, almost, nearly, well-nigh, short of, not quite, all but, near upon, close upon, peu s'en faut, near the mark, within an ace of, within an inch of, on the brink of, scarcely, hardly, barely, only just, no more than, about, thereabouts, somewhere about, nearly, say, be the same, be little more or less, no ways, no way, no wise, not at all, not in the least, not a bit, not a bit of it, not a whit, not a jot, not a shadow, in no wise, in no respect, by no means, by no manner of means, on no account, at no hand, dare pondus idonea fumo, magno conatu magnas nugas, small sands the mountain, moments make the year.

Probity

N probity, integrity, rectitude, uprightness, honesty, faith, honor, bonne foi, good faith, bona fides, purity, clean hands, fairness, fair play, justice, equity, impartiality, principle, even-handedness, grace, constancy, faithfulness, fidelity, loyalty, incorruption, incorruptibility, trustworthiness, truth, candor, singleness of heart, veracity, tender conscience, punctilio, delicacy, nicety, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, scruple, point, point of honor, punctuality, dignity, (repute), respectability, respectableness, gentilhomme, gentleman, man of honor, man of his word, fidus Achates, preux chevalier, galantuomo, truepenny, trump, brick, true Briton, white man, court of honor, a fair field and no favor, argumentum ad verecundiam, upright, honest, honest as daylight, veracious, virtuous, honorable, fair, right, just, equitable, impartial, evenhanded, square, fair and aboveboard, open and aboveboard, white, constant, constant as the northern star, faithful, loyal, staunch, true, true blue, true to one's colors, true to the core, true as the needle to the pole, marble-constant, true- hearted, trusty, trustworthy, as good as one's word, to be depended on, incorruptible, straightforward, frank, candid, open-hearted, conscientious, tender-conscienced, right-minded, high-principled, high-minded, scrupulous, religious, strict, nice, punctilious, correct, punctual, respectable, reputable, gentlemanlike, inviolable, inviolate, unviolated, unbroken, unbetrayed, unbought, unbribed, innocent, pure, stainless, unstained, untarnished, unsullied, untainted, unperjured, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, undefiled, undepraved, undebauched, integer vitae scelerisque purus, justus et tenax propositi, chivalrous, jealous of honor, sans peur et sans reproche, high-spirited, supramundane, unworldly, other-worldly, overscrupulous, honorable, bona fide, on the square, in good faith, honor bright, foro conscientiae, with clean hands, a face untaught to feign, bene qui latuit bene vixit, mens sibi conscia recti, probitas laudatur et alget, fidelis ad urnam, his heart as far from fraud as heaven from earth, loyaute m'oblige, loyaute n'a honte, what stronger breastplate than a heart untainted?.

Gravity

N gravity, gravitation, weight, heaviness, specific gravity, pondorosity, pressure, load, burden, burthen, ballast, counterpoise, lump of, mass of, weight of, lead, millstone, mountain, Ossa on Pelion, weighing, ponderation, trutination, weights, avoirdupois weight, troy weight, apothecaries' weight, grain, scruple, drachma, ounce, pound, lb, arroba, load, stone, hundredweight, cwt, ton, long ton, metric ton, quintal, carat, pennyweight, tod, gram, centigram, milligram, microgram, kilogram, nanogram, picogram, femtogram, attogram, balance, scale, scales, steelyard, beam, weighbridge, spring balance, piezoelectric balance, analytical balance, two-pan balance, one-pan balance, postal scale, baby scale, statics, weighty, weighing, heavy as lead, ponderous, ponderable, lumpish, lumpy, cumbersome, burdensome, cumbrous, unwieldy, massive, incumbent, superincumbent.

Care

N care, solicitude, heed, heedfulness, scruple, watchfulness, vigilance, surveillance, eyes of Argus, watch, vigil, look out, watch and ward, loeil du maitre, alertness, attention, prudence &c, circumspection, anxiety, forethought, precaution, tidiness accuracy, minuteness, attention to detail, careful regardful, heedful, taking care, particular, prudent, considerate, thoughtful, provident, alert, sure-footed, guarded, on one's guard, on the qui vivre, on the alert, on watch, on the lookout, awake, broad awake, vigilant, watchful, wakeful, wistful, Argus-eyed, wide awake, on the watch for (expectant), tidy accurate, scrupulous, cavendo tutus, carefully, with care, gingerly, quis custodiet istos custodes?, who will watch the watchers?, care will kill a cat, ni bebas agua que no veas, O polished perturbation! Golden care!, the incessant care and labor of his mind.

Doubt

N unbelief doubt, unbelief, disbelief, misbelief, discredit, miscreance, infidelity, dissent, change of opinion, retraction, doubt, skepticism, scepticism, misgiving, demure, distrust, mistrust, cynicism, misdoubt, suspicion, jealousy, scruple, qualm, onus probandi, incredibility, incredibleness, incredulity, doubter, skeptic, cynic, unbeliever, unbelieving, skeptical, sceptical, incredulous as to, skeptical as to, distrustful as to, shy as to, suspicious of, doubting, doubtful, disputable, unworthy of, undeserving of belief, questionable, suspect, suspicious, open to suspicion, open to doubt, staggering, hard to believe, incredible, unbelievable, not to be believed, inconceivable, impossible, fallible, undemonstrable, controvertible, cum grano salis, with a grain of salt, with grains of allowance, fronti nulla fides, nimium ne crede colori, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes, I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts, beware of Greeks bearing gifts, credat Judaeus Apella, let those believe who may, ad tristem partem stenua est suspicio.

VB disbelieve, discredit, not believe, misbelieve, refuse to admit, refuse to believe, doubt, be doubtful, doubt the truth of, be skeptical as to, diffide, distrust, mistrust, suspect, smoke, scent, smell a rat, have doubts, harbor doubts, entertain doubts, suspicions, have one's doubts, demure, stick at, pause, hesitate, scruple, stop to consider, waver, hang in suspense, hang in doubt, throw doubt upon, raise a question, bring in, call in question, question, challenge, dispute, deny, cavil, cause a doubt, raise a doubt, start a doubt, suggest a doubt, awake a doubt, make suspicion, ergotize, startle, stagger, shake one's faith, shake one's belief, stagger one's faith, stagger one's belief.