Careful, thorough, and dutiful in one's work or responsibilities; guided by a sense of right and wrong. Describes someone who takes their obligations seriously.
From Latin 'conscientiosus,' from 'conscientia' (knowledge within oneself, conscience). The root 'con-' (with) plus 'scire' (to know) literally means 'knowing with oneself.' The word entered English in the 17th century.
A conscientious person has an active 'conscience' that guides their actions - they do the right thing even when no one is watching. Think of it as having an internal quality control inspector!
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