overscrupulous
Too morally cautious
Overscrupulous describes someone who is excessively careful about moral correctness or minor details to the point of being impractical or annoying.
Where a scrupulous person takes appropriate care to do things right, an overscrupulous one obsesses over trivial matters or imagined ethical violations.
An overscrupulous accountant might refuse to round figures even when precision doesn't matter.
The term often carries a note of criticism, suggesting that such fastidiousness is counterproductive or self-righteous.
Excessively attentive to detail
- meticulousShowing extreme attention to detail
- punctiliousExcessively careful about details
- exactingDemanding great care
- nitpickyOverly concerned with minutiae
persnickety · finicky · fussy · pedantic · hair-splitting · overcritical · hypercritical · obsessive
Troubled by uncertainty
- fearfulFull of fright
- apprehensiveFearful of future events
- fretfulAnxiously irritable
- overthinkingDwelling excessively on thoughts
second-guessing · guilt-ridden · conscience-stricken · agonizing · tortured · hand-wringing · overcautious · paralyzed
Slow to act
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- ditheringProlonged indecisive hesitation
- vacillatingSwaying between choices
- irresoluteLacking firmness of purpose
paralyzed · overthinking · equivocating · second-guessing · stalling · fence-sitting · overcautious · agonizing
Unable to bend
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- unbendingRefusing to change position
- dogmaticAsserting opinions as facts
- legalisticExcessively focused on technicalities
formalistic · purist · hidebound · strict · doctrinaire · literalistic · rule-bound · uncompromising
fastidious
Excessively attentive to detail
- meticulousShowing extreme attention to detail
- punctiliousExcessively careful about details
- exactingDemanding great care
nitpicky · persnickety · finicky · fussy · pedantic · hair-splitting · overcritical · hypercritical · obsessive · uncompromising
worried
Troubled by uncertainty
- fearfulFull of fright
- apprehensiveFearful of future events
- fretfulAnxiously irritable
overthinking · second-guessing · guilt-ridden · conscience-stricken · agonizing · tortured · hand-wringing · overcautious · paralyzed · troubled
hesitant
Slow to act
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- ditheringProlonged indecisive hesitation
- vacillatingSwaying between choices
irresolute · paralyzed · overthinking · equivocating · second-guessing · stalling · fence-sitting · overcautious · agonizing · hamstrung
inflexible
Unable to bend
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- unbendingRefusing to change position
- dogmaticAsserting opinions as facts
legalistic · formalistic · purist · hidebound · strict · doctrinaire · literalistic · rule-bound · uncompromising · hardline
overscrupulousunscrupulous
Lacking moral principles
unprincipled · amoral · conscienceless · unethical · immoral
scrupulous, scruple, unscrupulous, scrupulously, unscrupulously, scrupulosity