compunction

American  

[kuhm-puhngk-shuhn] / kəmˈpʌŋk ʃən /

noun

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

2. any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.

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compunction British  

/ kəmˈpʌŋkʃən /

noun

1. a feeling of remorse, guilt, or regret

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Other Word Forms

• compunctionless adjective
• compunctious adjective
• compunctiously adverb

Etymology

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; point ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

For a company founded by ex-OpenAI executives disaffected with Sam Altman’s business practices, it seemingly has little compunction about the aggressive tacks it’s already taken to shore up its $380 billion bottom line.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026

To do so, he calculated, would risk ongoing public spats with not just the most powerful man on the planet, but someone with near zero compunction when it comes to spectacularly falling out with people.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

Still, with their seemingly limitless budget, the Dodgers have shown no compunction against excess.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

And he has shown that he will have no compunction about doing just that.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

I admired her lack of compunction, the courage of her bad manners, the energy of simple rage.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood