pang of conscience

noun

A feeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets.

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Meanings

nounpang of conscience (plural pangs of conscience)

plural pangs of conscience

  1. in pluraloftenA feeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets.

    So it fell that Mistress Anne could go to London without pangs of conscience at leaving her sister in the country and alone.

    1896, Frances Hodgson Burnett, chapter 11, in A Lady of Quality
    1 more example

    It was clear to Mr. Seely that Dick Shand's story was 'got up,'—and very well got up. He had no pang of conscience as to using it. But when it came to believing it, that was quite another thing.

    1879, Anthony Trollope, chapter 50, in John Caldigate

Translations

Finnish omantunnontuska
  • omantunnontuskafeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
German Gewissensbiss
  • Gewissensbissfeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Hungarian lelkiismeret-furdalás, bűntudat
  • lelkiismeret-furdalásfeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
  • bűntudatfeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Icelandic mórall
  • mórallfeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Italian coda di paglia, coscienza sporca
  • coda di pagliafeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
  • coscienza sporcafeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
  • rimorsofeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Polish wyrzuty sumienia
  • wyrzuty sumieniafeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Portuguese dor na consciência
  • dor na consciênciafeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Romanian mustrare de conștiință
  • mustrare de conștiințăfeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Russian угрызе́ния со́вести
  • угрызе́ния со́вести (ugryzénija sóvesti)feeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Swedish samvetskval
  • samvetskvalfeeling of shame, guilt, or embarrassment, resulting from behavior which one regrets
Cite this entry
APA

pang of conscience. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pang%20of%20conscience

MLA

“pang of conscience.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pang%20of%20conscience. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pang of conscience,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pang%20of%20conscience.

Source: pang of conscience on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.