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

• compassionateness
  noun
• uncompassionateness
  noun
• uncompassionate
  adjective
• 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

He became one of the first to be given teplizumab on compassionate grounds before the treatment was recommended by the body which advises the NHS on which medicines should be offered to patients.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

Here’s hoping that “Dad Brain” launches us toward rigorous studies and compassionate interpretations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

She describes them as being "full of Jo, that they are so kind, compassionate, caring".

From BBC • Jun. 16, 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

How did I wind up in this position with the most popular—and beautiful and funny and kind and compassionate and socially conscious and, and, and, and, and—girl at my new school?

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Related Words

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