scruple

The idea that Saddam would scruple to support al Qaeda seems preposterous even now.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025

They were both these outsiders from the boroughs with tremendous life force and ambition with a shared, I think, lack of scruple or ethical core, for whom winning was the only moral measure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2024

In the chaotic tangle of dust, horseflesh and steel, finding an unexpected advantage was not difficult for those unyoked from scruple.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024

The pontiff lamented the “poverty into which they are often forced, victims of injustice and the inequality of a throwaway society that hurries past without seeing them and without scruple abandons them to their fate.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2021

Thompson was dashing and ambitious, "handsome in feature and figure," occasionally courageous and exceedingly bright, but untroubled by anything so inconveniencing as a scruple.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Employees in these movies come to the conclusion their boss lacks scruples, boundaries or the qualifications to have the job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025

Theo has misgivings, but his passion for Wynona overrides his scruples.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025

Some may have otherwise been stolen by Western visitors with less scruples to be sold on the lucrative European and American artefacts market.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2024

Executives at established tech giants might have their own honest scruples about where all of this is heading.

From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2023

The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

Though Antonin fashions himself as a tormented literary protagonist — a scrupled thief and a thwarted artist — he emerges as little more than a posturing, self-pitying millennial unwilling to take charge of his life.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

The extravagance and general profligacy which he scrupled not to lay at Mr. Wickham’s charge, exceedingly shocked her; the more so, as she could bring no proof of its injustice.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

The late Captain Marryat declined to comply with these terms, although another English author, of undeniable reputation, has, it is affirmed, not scrupled to bolt this denationalizing pill.

From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1851 by Various

Elizabeth grew restless under it, and Miss Sarah found out from gossiping people that Elizabeth had not scrupled to do what was little short of spying on Alec.

From The Heart's Country by Vorse, Mary Heaton

Woodville smiled gladly; for certain of his own honour and of his own conduct, he scrupled not to take advantage of any means to free himself from the restraint under which he was held.

From Agincourt The Works of G. P. R. James, Volume XX by James, G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford)

"His father died a short time since and left him in my care," said the squire, not scrupling to make a misstatement.

From The Young Musician ; Or, Fighting His Way by Alger, Horatio

I will not reason here—nor will I stop for YOU to expatiate on the absurdity, and the worse than absurdity, of scrupling to engage my faith where my honour was already bound.

From Sense and Sensibility by Austen, Jane

The idea of scrupling to hurt the sensibilities of Andrew Peak!

From Born in Exile by Gissing, George

Weary, and not scrupling to defile Bulika with my presence, I took advantage of the shelter, poor as it was.

From Lilith, a romance by MacDonald, George

Richard Baxter, in the seventeenth century, had said of confirmation that, so far from scrupling the true use of it, there was scarce any outward thing in the Church he valued more highly.

From The English Church in the Eighteenth Century by Abbey, Charles J. (Charles John)