conscientious or conscious?
If you are conscious you are awake or aware: The patient is conscious;We are conscious of the danger.Conscious can also mean "deliberate, intentional," as in We made a conscious [not conscientious] move to win the championship. If you are conscientious you are diligent and thorough, or governed by your own sense of ethics: Conscientious students study diligently.I made a conscientious [not conscious] effort to represent indigent clients pro bono in court. Both these adjectives can modify nouns such as decision and effort, but the writer must ensure that the context is clear. A conscious decision/effort is one made intentionally and deliberately (a conscious decision/effort to disregard all risks); a conscientious decision/effort is one involving an ethical judgment (a conscientious decision/effort to right wrongs when we see them).
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