1
: a unit of capacity equal to ¹/₂₄ Apothecaries' ounce see Weights and Measures Table
2
: a minute part or quantity : iota
1
: an ethical consideration or principle that inhibits action
2
: the quality or state of being scrupulous
3
: mental reservation
scrupled; scrupling
ˈskrü-p(ə-)liŋ 
Synonyms
Examples of scruple in a Sentence
Noun (1)
went about her business without even a scruple of suspicion
left just a scruple of asparagus on the plate
Noun (2)
the survey showed that many students had few scruples about cheating on papers or exams
Verb
a tabloid journalist who has never scrupled to reveal the most intimate details about the lives of celebrities
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 18 July 2024
Casey also seemed to have few scruples about doing what was needed to win.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2024
But when Jackson knocked on his door, Upham immediately put aside his scruples.
—Susanna Ashton, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
Hilton, not exactly a figure known for journalistic scruples, felt that Enty’s standards on the blog frequently fell short.
—Lila Shapiro, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024
Allen’s movies have often displayed an obsession with the nature of evil, a fascination with those who are able to do evil and go on living normally—whose powers of compartmentalization, rationalization, or simple self-righteousness are stronger than their scruples.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
Moral leadership, moral clarity and moral scruples are centerpieces of civilization, eclipsing economic statistics or military power.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024
However, his acquisitive wife, who had no such scruples, accepted in his stead, and this became the Summer White House.
—Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 9 Nov. 2023
By 2006, no one in Lebanon had any illusions about Israel’s attachment to disproportionality and determination to lash out at enemies with few scruples and considerable wrath.
—Hussein Ibish, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023
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Noun
Randy Orton essentially played his cold robot doppelgänger, a fellow handsome main-eventer who lacked Cena’s scruples.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 18 July 2024
Casey also seemed to have few scruples about doing what was needed to win.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2024
But when Jackson knocked on his door, Upham immediately put aside his scruples.
—Susanna Ashton, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024
Hilton, not exactly a figure known for journalistic scruples, felt that Enty’s standards on the blog frequently fell short.
—Lila Shapiro, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024
Allen’s movies have often displayed an obsession with the nature of evil, a fascination with those who are able to do evil and go on living normally—whose powers of compartmentalization, rationalization, or simple self-righteousness are stronger than their scruples.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
Moral leadership, moral clarity and moral scruples are centerpieces of civilization, eclipsing economic statistics or military power.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024
However, his acquisitive wife, who had no such scruples, accepted in his stead, and this became the Summer White House.
—Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 9 Nov. 2023
By 2006, no one in Lebanon had any illusions about Israel’s attachment to disproportionality and determination to lash out at enemies with few scruples and considerable wrath.
—Hussein Ibish, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near scruple
Cite this Entry
“Scruple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scruple. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scruple
2 of 3 noun1
: a moral consideration or rule of conduct that makes one uneasy or makes action difficult
2
: a sense of guilt felt when one does wrong
acted without scruple
Etymology
Noun
Middle English scriple "a unit of weight," from Latin scrupulus "small sharp stone"
Noun
from early French scrupule "scruple," from Latin scrupulus "scruple, a small sharp stone"
Word Origin
Having a sharp pebble in your shoe can be painful enough to keep you from walking until you remove it. That fact was well known by the ancient Romans, who regularly wore sandals. Scruple comes from the Latin word scrupulus, which originally meant "a small sharp stone." The ancient Romans also used scrupulus to refer to a feeling or thought that might keep a person from doing something that was not quite right. It seemed to them to affect the conscience in the same way that a tiny stone in the shoe would keep a person from being able to walk. This second meaning of scrupulus is the one that still survives in our English word scruple.
Medical Definition
scruple
noun
scru·ple
ˈskrü-pəl
: a unit of apothecaries' weight equal to 20 grains or ¹/₃ dram or 1.296 grams
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