compassionate

[kuhm-pash-uh-nit, kuhm-pash-uh-neyt]

adjective

1. having or showing compassion.

   a compassionate person; a compassionate letter.

   Synonyms: tender, sympathetic, pitying

2. granted in an emergency.

   compassionate military leave granted to attend a funeral.

3. Obsolete.,  pitiable.

verb (used with object)

compassionated, compassionating 

1. Archaic.,  to pity or have compassion for.

compassionate

/ kəmˈpæʃənət /

adjective

1. showing or having compassion

2. leave granted, esp to a serviceman, on the grounds of bereavement, family illness, etc

Other Word Forms

• compassionately adverb
• compassionateness noun
• uncompassionate adjective
• uncompassionately adverb
• uncompassionateness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of compassionate¹

First recorded in 1580–90; compassion + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Even the prince appeared more compassionate about Khashoggi’s killing than the president.

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Adoption separates children from their parents too, but it is a compassionate response to tragic circumstances.

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Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Reed said the government was aiming to create a "fair, tolerant and compassionate" asylum system.

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As someone who has been on both sides of this equation, the most compassionate parts of my heart are right there with you.

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Not even Vivaldi, by all accounts a fair and compassionate man, would have wanted this.

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Related Words

• benevolent 
• charitable 
• humane 
• merciful 
• sympathetic 
• warm 
• warmhearted www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does compassionate mean?

Compassionate means having compassion—a feeling of sympathy or pity for others, especially one that makes you want to help them.Being compassionate typically means you care and you want to help. The word can describe a person, their actions, or a situation that involves or is based on compassion.The word compassion is sometimes used interchangeably with sympathy, and compassionate is sometimes used to mean sympathetic, which most most commonly means sharing emotions with someone else, especially sadness. These words are all used in the context of feeling sorry for people who are in negative situations. But being compassionate is often understood as having a feeling that motivates you to help them.The opposite of being compassionate is being uncompassionate—indifferent or cold-hearted.The word compassionate can also be used in a more specific way to mean granted in circumstances that call for compassion. The word is used this way in the phrase compassionate leave, which refers to permission to be absent, such as from military duty, due to a death or illness in the family or other personal reasons.Example: We should be compassionate toward others because that’s how we want to be treated.