1.
to feel guilty; to have a bad conscience; to be troubled by one's conscience
An expression describing the internal discomfort felt when one knows one has done or is doing something morally wrong. Literally, 'one's conscience reproaches.' The subject is 良心 (conscience), not the person.
嘘をついて良心が咎めた。
I felt guilty about lying.
Usage
In this expression, 良心 (conscience) is the grammatical subject that does the 咎める (reproaching). The person who feels guilty is not the subject but the one whose conscience is acting. The verb 咎める on its own means to blame or find fault with. This is a relatively literary expression.
Common collocations
- 良心が咎めて〜する (to do something because of a guilty conscience)
- 良心の呵責 (pangs of conscience — related noun phrase)