overscrupulousnessn.
/ˌəʊvəˈskruːpjᵿləsnəs/, U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskrupjələsnəs/ Excessive scrupulousness.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > [noun] > conscientiousness > meticulous
conscience1483
scrupleness1489
scruple1526
scrupulosity1526
queasiness1576
punctualness1620
punctuality1622
scrupulousness1689
overscrupulousness1740
superstition1755
overscrupulosity1829
over-scruple1894
1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 160 Try to subdue this Over-scrupulousness, and unseasonable Timidity.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xlviii. 278 Thou wouldest have been readier by far, to censure her for nicety and over-scrupulousness.
1824 T. Hook Sayings & Doings 1st Ser. III. 289 He severely reprobated the over-scrupulousness of Fanny.
1867 M. R. Vincent Amusement 9 A sneer at fanaticism and over-scrupulousness on the one hand.
1907 Polit. Sci. Q. 22 158 Overscrupulousness in giving credit for borrowed ideas, facts and phrases is an offence of which few authors are guilty.
1992 Gramophone (BNC) June 68 Cohen is far from cavalier with the text. On the contrary, he might be accused of overscrupulousness.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1740