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Showing results for compunction. Search instead for Compunctive.
Synonyms

compunction

American  
[kuhm-puhngk-shuhn] / kəmˈpʌŋk ʃən /

noun

  1. a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.

  2. any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.

compunction British  
/ kəmˈpʌŋkʃən /

noun

  1. a feeling of remorse, guilt, or regret

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • compunctionless adjective
  • compunctious adjective
  • compunctiously adverb

Etymology

Origin of compunction

1350–1400; Middle English compunccion (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin compūnctiōn- (stem of compūnctiō ), equivalent to Latin compūnct ( us ), past participle of compungere to prick severely ( com- com- + pungere to prick; point ) + -iōn- -ion

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.