in conscience

Related to in conscience: in all conscience

in (all) conscience

Without guilt. Usually said to emphasize fairness in a transaction. Primarily heard in UK. In all conscience, I can't charge you more than the car is worth. No, I can't, in conscience, give you a better grade when you put such little effort into the assignment!
See also: conscience
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

in conscience

Also, in all good conscience. In all truth or fairness, as in I can't in conscience say that the meeting went well, or In all good conscience we can't support their stand on disarmament. [Late 1500s]
See also: conscience
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

in (all good) conscience

In all fairness; by any reasonable standard.
See also: conscience
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • in (all) conscience
  • clear conscience, to have a
  • have a clear conscience
  • have a clean conscience
  • (one's) conscience is clear
  • conscience
  • (one's) conscience is clean
  • have a clear conscience about (someone or something)
  • have a clean conscience about (someone or something)
  • prick your conscience
References in periodicals archive
(41.) William Spohn, "Conscience and Moral Development," in Conscience: Readings in Moral Theology Number 14, ed.
Redeeming conscience
The pontiff does not dispute the traditional notion that one has a duty to follow one's conscience, but, echoing Murray, he adds that when one believes that "one's moral judgment is true merely by the fact that it has its origin in conscience" the truth becomes inescapably lost (VS, 32).
The law of conscience: Catholic teaching on conscience from Leo XIII to John Paul II
acting in equity and good conscience, enjoins a person from perpetrating a fraud," (197) or "This is not a situation where equity and good conscience demand that the province not be permitted to retain these moneys." (198) Sometimes the context implies that it is the conscience of a party that is in issue--as, for example, when we are told that someone has undertaken an obligation and "equity [will hold] him in conscience to that obligation," (199) or when the conduct of a party is seen as refuting a claim that the retention of funds is "against equity and good conscience".
The unexamined "conscience" of contemporary Canadian equity
that beeing borne subjects of this land, yet choose rather to die then to acknowledge (as they are bound in conscience) the Kings Majestie to bee supreame governour under God in all causes and over all persons" (37-38), and he is equally adamant that if human authority commands "things that are evill and forbidden by God, then is there no bond of conscience at al; but contrariwise men are bound in conscience not to obey" (34).
The conscience of the King: Henry V and the reformed conscience
Pope John Paul II maintains that in the case of laws such as those which claim to legitimize abortion or euthanasia, there is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; instead "there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection.
Thomas More, patron of politicians
Church courts must decide whether there is objectively such a nullity of marriage, because there are canonical laws binding in conscience.
Conscience: a reason to dissent?