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

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

Party leader Olivier Faure said that he would have no compunction about supporting a new vote of censure, if offending parts of the budget are not removed.

From BBC • Oct. 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