conscientious
- Wishing to do what is right; taking great care to do one's work or duty thoroughly and correctly.
In a sentence
- She was a conscientious student who always double-checked her work before submitting it.
- A conscientious employee will raise concerns about ethical problems rather than ignore them.
Usage note. Spelling is the main challenge: remember 'sci' buried inside the word (con-SCI-entious), sharing the same Latin root 'scire' (to know) as 'science'; do not write 'consientious'.
Where it comes from
English conscientious — “careful, morally thorough” · entered English 17th c.
From French 'consciencieux', from Medieval Latin 'conscientiosus', derived from Latin 'conscientia' (conscience, knowledge shared with oneself), from 'conscire' meaning 'to be aware of', composed of 'com-' (together) and 'scire' (to know). The word entered English in the early 17th century, around the 1610s. It shares its root with 'conscious' and 'conscience'.