compassionate

American  

[kuhm-pash-uh-nit, kuhm-pash-uh-neyt] / kəmˈpæʃ ə nɪt, kəmˈpæʃ əˌneɪt /

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.

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verb (used with object)

compassionated, compassionating

1. Archaic. to pity or have compassion for.

compassionate British  

/ kəmˈpæʃənət /

adjective

1. showing or having compassion

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

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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

Derived Forms

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

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.

Example Sentences

And he ended on a positive note, saying he hoped the changes would help a build a "secure, lawful, compassionate and prosperous" country.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Konate returned early from compassionate leave to help Liverpool avert an injury crisis at the end of January but the centre-back conceded that things were never quite right.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

In this heart-sore and compassionate investigation of unresolved pain, director Marialuisa Ernst makes a parallel between their plight and how her uncle’s disappearance during Argentina’s dictatorship affected her family.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

United States, that prisoners cannot seek compassionate release under the 2018 statute intended to allow exactly that relief, even if they show that their original convictions were inaccurate or unfairly decided.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026

She is, according to Vincent, smart and compassionate and a good businesswoman; she is a partner with her brother, Louis, in a linen mill.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• benevolent
• charitable
• humane
• merciful
• sympathetic
• warm
• warmhearted