guilty conscience

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guilty conscience

A child looks down with a guilty conscience after breaking a vase.

Definition

Noun: - A feeling of remorse or anxiety arising from the awareness of having done something wrong: A "guilty conscience" is the psychological distress or unease one feels when they believe they have committed an offense, acted immorally, or failed to meet a personal standard.

Usage

A "guilty conscience" is used to describe an internal, emotional state. It is often the cause of specific behaviors or feelings. - It is typically used with verbs like have, give (someone), ease, or clear. - Common structures include: have a guilty conscience about something or be troubled by a guilty conscience.

Examples
  • Noun:
    • His guilty conscience kept him awake all night after he lied to his friend.
    • She donated to charity to ease her guilty conscience about her good fortune.
    • If you have a guilty conscience, you should probably apologize.
Advanced Usage
  • "to have a guilty conscience": To be burdened by feelings of guilt.
    • He's been acting strangely; I think he has a guilty conscience about the missing money.
  • "to clear one's guilty conscience": To relieve oneself of guilt, often by confessing or making amends.
    • She wrote a letter to clear her guilty conscience.
  • "a pang/twinge of guilty conscience": A sudden, sharp feeling of guilt.
    • He felt a pang of guilty conscience when he saw the disappointed look on her face.
Variants and Related Words
  • Conscience (n): The inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives.
    • Let your conscience be your guide.
  • Guilt (n): The fact of having committed a specified or implied offense. (Note: "Guilt" is the fact of the offense, while a "guilty conscience" is the feeling that results from it.)
    • The court proved his guilt.
Synonyms
  • Remorse: Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.
  • Self-reproach: The act of blaming or criticizing oneself.
  • Compunction: A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad.
Related Idioms and Phrases
  • "A guilty conscience needs no accuser": (Proverb) A person who has done wrong will feel guilty and reveal their own fault without needing anyone else to accuse them.
    • He started explaining where he was last night without anyone asking. A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
guilty conscience

A child looks down with a guilty conscience after breaking a vase.

Noun
  1. remorse caused by feeling responsible for some offense

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