Both Uses of
scrupulous
in
Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Heasyoasy (for so he still named the skipper) was a man, by his account, that minded for nothing either in heaven or earth; one that, as people said, would "crack on all sail into the day of judgment;" rough, fierce, unscrupulous, and brutal; and all this my poor cabin-boy had taught himself to admire as something seamanlike and manly.†
Chpt 5unscrupulous = 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.
- "Ye're unco scrupulous," sneered Alan
Chpt 29 *scrupulous = careful to behave ethically.
Definition:
careful to behave ethically and/or diligently (with great care and attention to detail)