internal compass
Built-in moral sense
An internal compass is an intuitive sense of direction or moral guidance that helps someone navigate decisions without external instruction.
The metaphor draws from the magnetic compass that points north—except this one points toward what feels right or true to the individual.
She trusted her internal compass when choosing a career path.
Often used interchangeably with moral compass when the context involves ethics.
- moral guideTeacher of right conduct
- intuitionInstinctive immediate understanding
- gut feelingInstinctive sense about something
- gut instinctImmediate unreasoned knowing
- true northDirection to the pole
conscience · guidance · guiding light · instinct · navigation · sense of direction · direction · inner voice · inner truth · bearing · orientation · lodestone · homing · sense · needle · magnetic · wayfinding · soul
- magnetoreceptionmagnetite, biomagnetism
internal compasspeer pressure
Influence from one's equals
groupthink · social conformity · herd mentality · public opinion · conventional wisdom
internal compassdirectionlessness
Absence of aim or course
rudderlessness · aimlessness · moral blindness · purposelessness · anomie
internal compassweathervane
Device showing wind direction
opportunism · inconsistency · flip-flopping · spinelessness · wishy-washiness
internal, internally, intern, interior, internalize, internalized, internalization, compass, compasses