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Compunction   /kəmpˈəŋkʃən/   Listen
noun
Compunction  n.  
1.
A pricking; stimulation. (Obs.) "That acid and piercing spirit which, with such activity and compunction, invadeth the brains and nostrils."
2.
A picking of heart; poignant grief proceeding from a sense of guilt or consciousness of causing pain; the sting of conscience. "He acknowledged his disloyalty to the king, with expressions of great compunction."
Synonyms: Compunction, Remorse, Contrition. Remorse is anguish of soul under a sense of guilt or consciousness of having offended God or brought evil upon one's self or others. Compunction is the pain occasioned by a wounded and awakened conscience. Neither of them implies true contrition, which denotes self-condemnation, humiliation, and repentance. We speak of the gnawings of remorse; of compunction for a specific act of transgression; of deep contrition in view of our past lives. See Regret.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Compunction" Quotes from Famous Books



... chidings, and punishment, Andrew would seek the company of his little friend Emily on every convenient occasion. To avoid the consequences he would practice deception, and utter direct falsehood without compunction or hesitation. At last, after a struggle of two years, even the father became wearied and discouraged at the perseverance of his child; and there came a suggestion to his mind, that probably, to continue as he had been going on for so long a time, would do more harm than good. It requires ...
— The Iron Rule - or, Tyranny in the Household • T. S. Arthur

... — N. penitence, contrition, compunction, repentance, remorse; regret &c 833. self-reproach, self-reproof, self-accusation, self-condemnation, self-humiliation; stings of conscience, pangs of conscience, qualms of conscience, prickings of conscience^, twinge of conscience, twitch of conscience, ...
— Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases: Body • Roget

... Captain Servadac had been acting only in jest. Aware that old Isaac was an utter hypocrite, he had no compunction in turning a business transaction with him into an occasion for a bit of fun. But the joke at an end, he took care that the Jew was properly paid ...
— Off on a Comet • Jules Verne

... bureau and discover the loss before he got out of the house, which would make it awkward for him. Once out in the street, he breathed more freely. He had enough with him to pay his only debt, and give him four hundred dollars extra. It might be supposed he would feel some compunction at robbing his stepmother of her all. Whatever her faults, she was devoted to him. But Willis Ford had a hard, selfish nature, and the only thought that troubled him was the fear that he might be found out. Indeed, ...
— Helping Himself • Horatio Alger

... no disturbance of my soul Or strong compunction in me wrought, I supplicate for thy controul, But in the quietness of thought: Me this uncharter'd freedom tires; I feel the weight of chance desires; My hopes no more must change their name; I long for a repose which ...
— The Golden Treasury - Of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language • Various


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