clear conscience

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the state of mind of a person who believes they have acted rightly and therefore feels no guilt, shame, or self-reproach about their past actions; a clear conscience is not merely the absence of guilt but the positive assurance that one has met one's own moral standards and can stand behind one's choices; it is both a psychological reward for ethical conduct and a source of resilience — people with clear consciences are less vulnerable to moral blackmail, manipulation through guilt, and the anxiety produced by the awareness of wrongdoing; the phrase is often used to distinguish between legal and moral accountability: a person may escape legal consequences for an action while still lacking a clear conscience, or conversely may be unjustly condemned by others while knowing with certainty that their conscience is untroubled