compunction

[ kuh m-puhngk-shuh n ]

/ kəmˈpʌŋk ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compunction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.

any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.

Nearby words

Origin of compunction

1350–1400; Middle English compunccion (< Anglo-French) < Late Latin compūnctiōn- (stem of compūnctiō), equivalent to Latin compūnct(us), past participle of compungere to prick severely (com- com- + pungere to prick; cf. point) + -iōn- -ion

Related formscom·punc·tion·less, adjective

Can be confusedcompulsion compunction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for compunction

He had been audited when he was out of office, and now he had no compunction about using his power as president.
IRS Audits, Benghazi, Sebelius: Obama’s Second Term Is Scandal Heaven|Eleanor Clift|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is a man who has traveled to Iran and China with no compunction.
Hawking's Bad Boycott Timing|Gil Troy|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Penn State students, however, have shown no compunction about buying up as many season tickets as possible.
Penn State's Economic Fallout: Will the Sandusky Scandal Sink a Whole City?|Matthew Zeitlin|July 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When I get them alone, I have no compunction about blowing them to bits.
Daniel Klaidman on the Mind of a Drone Strike Operator|Daniel Klaidman|June 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Today, however, ambitious politicians feel no compunction at launching initial campaigns as strangers and newcomers.
Do Hometowns Matter? Why Politicians’ Geography Is Becoming Irrelevant||April 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
What heart is forever exempt from the goadings of compunction and the influx of laudable propensities?
Wieland; or The Transformation|Charles Brockden Brown
Two hours afterwards Hardress himself arrived in a fit of compunction.
The World's Greatest Books, Volume V.|Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.
But she loved Dick in her heart for being a bear, and evinced both her compunction and her appreciation in peculiar graciousness.
Viviette|William J. Locke
He was very tender with Phœbe that night, for his heart was wrung with compunction.
The Return of the Prodigal|May Sinclair
There was no longer any compunction—she would strike now and deep.
The Girl of the Golden West|David Belasco

British Dictionary definitions for compunction

compunction

/ (kəmˈpʌŋkʃən) /

noun

a feeling of remorse, guilt, or regret

Derived Formscompunctious, adjectivecompunctiously, adverb

Word Origin for compunction

C14: from Church Latin compunctiō, from Latin compungere to sting, from com- (intensive) + pungere to puncture; see point

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for compunction

compunction

mid-14c., from Old French compunction (12c., Modern French componction), from Late Latin compunctionem (nominative compunctio) "remorse; a pricking" (of conscience), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin compungere "to severely prick, sting," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + pungere "to prick" (see pungent). Used in figurative sense by early Church writers. Originally a much more intense feeling, similar to "remorse," or "contrition."