Scruple1. (n.) Hesitation as to action based on conscience or moral principle.
2. (n.) A weight of twenty grains; the third part of a dram.
3. (n.) Hence, a very small quantity; a particle.
4. (v. i.) To be reluctant or to hesitate, as regards an action, on account of considerations of conscience or expedience.
5. (v. t.) To regard with suspicion; to hesitate at; to question.
6. (v. t.) To excite scruples in; to cause to scruple.
Thesaurus Entries
Pyrrhonism, ace, apprehension, atom, awake a doubt, back down, balance, balk, balk at, bashfulness, be diffident, be doubtful, be dubious, be skeptical, be uncertain, beef, better self, bit, bitch, blench, boggle, boggling, boycott, call in question, challenge, complain, complaint, compunction, conscience, conscientiousness, contest, cry out against, dab, debate, deliberate, demonstrate, demonstrate against, demonstration, demur, demurral, demurrer, diffidence, discomfort, dispute, distrust, distrustfulness, dole, dot, doubt, doubtfulness, dram, dribble, driblet, dubiety, dubiousness, dwarf, enter a protest, exception, expostulate, expostulation, falter, faltering, farthing, fastidiousness, fear, fight shy of, fleck, flinch, flyspeck, fragment, fret, gag, gobbet, grain, granule, greet with skepticism, grievance, grievance committee, groat, hair, half believe, half-belief, handful, hang back, hang off, harbor suspicions, have qualms, have reservations, hem and haw, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitate, hesitation, hold off, holler, hover, howl, hum and haw, indignation meeting, iota, jib, jot, kick, leeriness, little, little bit, lota, make bones about, march, meticulousness, minim, minimum, minutiae, misdoubt, misgive, misgiving, mistrust, mistrustfulness, mite, modesty, modicum, molecule, mote, nonviolent protest, nutshell, object, objection, ounce, overconscientiousness, overscrupulousness, pangs, pangs of conscience, particle, pause, pebble, picket, picketing, pinch, pittance, point, point of honor, ponder, press objections, pricking of heart, protest, protest demonstration, protestation, pull back, punctilio, punctiliousness, quail, qualm, qualm of conscience, qualmishness, qualms, query, question, raise a howl, raise a question, rally, recoil, reconsideration, reluctance, remonstrance, remonstrate, remonstration, retreat, scrap, scruples, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, second thought, second thoughts, self-doubt, shadow of doubt, shilly-shally, shred, shrink, shrink from, shrinking, shy, shy at, shyness, sit in, sit-in, skepticalness, skepticism, smell a rat, smidgen, smitch, speck, spoonful, spot, squawk, squeamishness, state a grievance, stick, stick at, stickle, stickling, stop to consider, straddle the fence, strain, strain at, strike, stumble, suspect, suspicion, suspiciousness, teach in, teach-in, thimbleful, think twice about, throes, throw doubt upon, tiny bit, tittle, total skepticism, touch of conscience, treat with reserve, trifling amount, trivia, twinge of conscience, uncertainty, uneasiness, vacillate, voice of conscience, wariness, waver, whit, wince, withdraw, worry, yell bloody murder, yield