compassion
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
Usage
What does compassion mean? Compassion is a feeling of sympathy or pity for others, especially one that makes you want to help them. Compassion is sometimes used interchangeably with sympathy, which most most commonly means the sharing of emotions with someone else, especially sadness. Both words are used in the context of feeling sorry for people who are in negative situations. But compassion is often understood as a feeling that motivates you to help them. The opposite of compassion is often thought to be indifference or cold-heartedness. Someone who has compassion for others can be described as compassionate. Being compassionate typically means you care and you want to help. Example: We should treat people with compassion because that’s how we want to be treated.
Synonym Usage
See sympathy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of compassion
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (from Anglo-French ), from Late Latin compassiōn- (stem of compassiō ). See com-, passion
Explanation
If someone shows kindness, caring, and a willingness to help others, they're showing compassion. This is a word for a very positive emotion that has to do with being thoughtful and decent. Giving to a charity takes compassion. Volunteering to work with sick people or animals takes compassion. When you have compassion, you're putting yourself in someone else's shoes and really feeling for them. Anytime a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake hits, others will feel compassion for the victims. When you feel compassion for someone, you really want to help out.
Vocabulary lists containing compassion
100 Top "SAT" Words
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Giving Words
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Until Ortega breaks her silence on the controversy, her parents said they have a request for supporters and critics alike: “We’re simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2025
When I met with Dressback, days after school let out, she answered the door to her apartment wearing a T-shirt that read “love. empathy. compassion. inclusion. justice. kindness.”
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2024
“Who are we now? Let’s have the process reflect how much we’ve grown as people, the humility and the compassion. There’s no room for cynicism any more, after what we’ve been through.”
From New York Times • Sep. 6, 2022
“But when you read his letters, you can also see his compassion. I saw a Christian man who chose not to be a victim. He had earned respect.”
From Washington Post • Jun. 24, 2022
“Officer Rahman. Honor the meaning of your name and show compassion. What does it matter to you to let a mere two women go? What’s the harm in releasing us? We are not criminals.”
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
