Compunction
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret, especially one which is slight or fleeting. countable, uncountable
"Besides, to do De Joinville justice, he felt, too, a degree of kindly compunction for the former harsh judgment entertained of one who so little deserved it; and—for there is no such thing in the human mind as an unmixed sensation—he was struck both with the spirit with which she resented, and the proud humility with which she forgave the affront."
- 2 a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed) wordnet
Example
More examples"That she might internally feel compunction, and reconcile herself with Heaven, whom she had offended, we will not, and we dare not, deny; but to those around her she did not evince the slightest symptom either of repentance or remorse. In all external appearance she bore the same bold, haughty, unbending character which she had displayed before these unhappy events."
Etymology
From Middle English compunccion, borrowed from Old French compunction, from Late Latin compunctionem (“a pricking”), from Latin compunctus, the past participle of compungere (“to severely prick”), from com- + pungere (“to prick”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.