YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

scrupulous

Adjective

IPA /ˈskruːpjʊləs/

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Meaning in plain English

Extremely careful to behave honestly and do what is right, especially when your actions could affect other people.

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Pronunciation

scrupulous/ˈskruːpjʊləs/

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An extra payment arrives by mistake
You report and return it

A scrupulous person is careful to act honestly.

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She is scrupulous about returning any extra change a shop gives her.
Our editor is scrupulous about giving other writers credit for their ideas.

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She is ________ about returning any extra change a shop gives her.

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scrupulous — Extremely careful to behave honestly and do what is right, especially when your actions could affect other people.

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Extremely careful to behave honestly and do what is right, especially when your actions could affect other people.

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Word origin

From French scrupuleux or Latin scrupulosus, ultimately related to scrupus, a rough pebble; figuratively, this Latin word could mean anxiety.

Did you know?

Scrupulously is the adverb; scrupulously fair describes someone who takes great care to be fair.

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