Both Uses of
scrupulous
in
The Scarlet Letter
- By those best acquainted with his habits, the paleness of the young minister's cheek was accounted for by his too earnest devotion to study, his scrupulous fulfillment of parochial duty,
p. 111.3 *scrupulous = diligence (thorough attention to detail)
- Unscrupulous as it was, however, it could not bring them nearer than a circuit of several yards.†
p. 229.4unscrupulous = unethicalstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unscrupulous means not and reverses the meaning of scrupulous. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
Definition:
careful to behave ethically and/or diligently (with great care and attention to detail)