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.

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compunction British  

/ kəmˈpʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. a feeling of remorse, guilt, or regret

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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

Explanation

When you feel compunction you feel very, very sorry, usually for something you did to hurt someone or mess something up. When you feel no compunction, you're not at all sorry. The noun compunction comes from the Latin verb compungere, meaning “prick sharply.” When you feel compunction, you feel a sharp prick of your conscience. The word compunction is often used in the negative in phrases like “without compunction” or "no compunction." You might say that the burglar acted without compunction when he stole your baseball card collection.

Example Sentences

To do so, he calculated, would risk ongoing public spats with not just the most powerful man on the planet, but someone with near zero compunction when it comes to spectacularly falling out with people.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

Still, with their seemingly limitless budget, the Dodgers have shown no compunction against excess.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

And he has shown that he will have no compunction about doing just that.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

The question is, what do you do about the people who just sail from case to case and don’t feel any compunction about having misrepresented?

From Slate • Oct. 9, 2025

I admired her lack of compunction, the courage of her bad manners, the energy of simple rage.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood