compassionate
Americanadjective
-
having or showing compassion.
a compassionate person; a compassionate letter.
- Synonyms:
- tender, sympathetic, pitying
-
granted in an emergency.
compassionate military leave granted to attend a funeral.
-
Obsolete. pitiable.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
showing or having compassion
-
leave granted, esp to a serviceman, on the grounds of bereavement, family illness, etc
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of compassionate
First recorded in 1580–90; compassion + -ate 1
Explanation
If you are compassionate, you feel other people's pain and struggles as though they were your own. Compassionate people are often moved to work to end the suffering of others, perhaps by feeding the hungry or educating the poor. Compassionate comes from the Old French noun compassion, which means "sympathy, pity." The adjective, pronounced "cuhm-PASH-uh-nuht," means "sympathetic," like a compassionate friend who shares in your joys and sadnesses, wanting the best for you. As a verb, compassionate, here pronounced "cuhm-PASH-uh-nate," means "pity," as in your ability to compassionate with stray dogs and cats.
Vocabulary lists containing compassionate
Be Nice!
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Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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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.
See Examples For:
“When I talk about compassionate accountability, it’s not just a campaign slogan for me,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Your response to his three children’s accusations is a compassionate one.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
The government said it had "committed to ensuring every bereaved parent and family has access to high-quality, consistent and compassionate care".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Is it compassionate to leave people detached from reality out on the cold street, or to police when something terrible happens?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
I want to tell Len how unfair this is, but then he’ll know I remember what it is to be compassionate and kind.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
"Let us hear his own version; tell us unreservedly all that you know," said the president, who really spoke as if he compassionated my embarrassment.
From The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. I by Charles James Lever
He compassionated me as He compassionates the unhappy who invoke Him.
From Mystics and Saints of Islam by Claud Field
She compassionated him from her heart, and thought she might be able to administer some comfort to him, as regarded Rhoda Maxfield.
From A Charming Fellow, Volume II (of 3) by Frances Eleanor Trollope
She compassionated their sufferings, and had respect for their cause.
From A Modern History, From the Time of Luther to the Fall of Napoleon For the Use of Schools and Colleges by John Lord
And he was compassionated and pitied for being obliged to remain in so old-fashioned and out-of-the-way country town as insignificant Newberg.
From Hubert's Wife A Story for You by Minnie Mary Lee
Mr. Hearne is hardly sympathetic toward those who wrong women, but I hear “Consent” as compassionating all of us who have been bequeathed unequal, curdled social relations.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2017
“A body can’t play a symphony next to a man, without compassionating with his woes.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
He had compassionating friends; while I, besides the loss of my children, am left a prey to the savage beasts.
From Mediaeval Tales by Henry Morley
He turned, and stood regarding him with a proud, lofty, compassionating smile.
From Cudjo's Cave by J. T. (John Townsend) Trowbridge
At length the lady, compassionating his perplexity, again anxiously asked— "Do you remember a certain little gold-fish?"
From Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII No. 1 January 1848 by Robert Taylor Conrad
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