escrúpulo
scruple, qualm
noun ehs-KROO-poo-loh Rare
Origin: From Latin scrupulus (small sharp stone — hence a nagging worry).
Usage Note
Escrúpulo (usually plural escrúpulos) denotes a moral hesitation or conscientious doubt. Tener escrúpulos means to have scruples; sin escrúpulos describes someone unscrupulous. Historically it was also a unit of apothecary weight (about 1.3 g), though that sense is obsolete in everyday use. The adjective escrupuloso/a means meticulous as well as scrupulous.
Examples
"No tenía escrúpulos para mentir."
Natural Translation
He had no scruples about lying.

Free starter pack
Building your Spanish vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic