Synonym Chooser

How does the noun compunction differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of compunction are demur, qualm, and scruple. While all these words mean "a misgiving about what one is doing or going to do," compunction implies a spontaneous feeling of responsibility or compassion for a potential victim.

had compunctions about lying

When is demur a more appropriate choice than compunction?

In some situations, the words demur and compunction are roughly equivalent. However, demur implies hesitation caused by objection to an outside suggestion or influence.

accepted her decision without demur

When could qualm be used to replace compunction?

Although the words qualm and compunction have much in common, qualm implies an uneasy fear that one is not following one's conscience or better judgment.

no qualms about plagiarizing

In what contexts can scruple take the place of compunction?

While in some cases nearly identical to compunction, scruple implies doubt of the rightness of an act on grounds of principle.

no scruples against buying stolen goods

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compunction Colvin never felt any ethical compunctions about selling solar panels. Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2025 Indulging the illusion that humans can control these systems while war is ongoing will tie democratic nations’ hands against adversaries with no such compunctions. Sebastian Elbaum, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2024 People with elevated psychopathic traits lie—constantly, intentionally, with great skill, and without compunction. Gautam Mukunda, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 And if the writers are true to Tolkien, our heroes will have no compunctions about killing many, many, many orcs. Caitlin Penzeymoog, Vox, 7 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for compunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compunction
Noun
  • As for the future, there is no doubt that if peace can be achieved, many billions of dollars will have to be spent before Ukraine can again supply its economy and people with the energy needed for a fully functioning state.
    Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • But there was never any doubt in their intent: put a creative, Midwest spin on country music.
    Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2025
Noun
  • And third, anyone without scruples can sell prescription opioids on the black market.
    Keith Humphreys, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018
  • Seen against the backdrop of recent events, Vought’s disdain for the rule-of-law scruples of Federalist Society legal thinkers seems entirely in line with Trump’s recent post suggesting a federal judge shouldn’t have authority over his administration.
    Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Marc Lasry, cofounder and CEO of Avenue Capital Group and the former co-owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, didn’t express any seller’s remorse for cashing out his stake in the Bucks at a $3.5 billion valuation in 2023, even as the Boston Celtics sold in a deal worth more than $6 billion this year.
    Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • The accents of remorse are elliptical, inarticulate.
    Sarah Beckwith, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Noun
  • Several Republicans have already expressed objections to the legislation as approved by the House.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025
  • Maryland parents fight for right to opt kids out of LGBTQ+ school materials The school case surrounds parents’ objections in Maryland to books with LGBTQ+ characters that Montgomery County Public Schools, which is based in the Washington metro area, added to its curriculum in 2022.
    BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • And anyway he’s got his qualms about being compared too directly to the likes of Willie and Waylon.
    Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2025
  • There’s also the qualm that once the world realizes AGI has been achieved, perhaps mass panic will arise, or evildoers will seek to turn AGI toward global extinction.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Noun
  • His ability to write across the ensemble turns the family into an unforgettable organism, pulsing with sadness and regret and a small, late-breaking surge of scrappy resilience.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 June 2025
  • Our only regret is that it wasn’t imposed many years ago when others like Vickrey or Mayors John Lindsay or Mike Bloomberg proposed it.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • As their father, Ruffalo’s charm belies a chasm of guilt, which is at the root of all that Hal & Harper is trying to uncover.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 June 2025
  • An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt: A 36-year-old man from Chicago was arrested on a charge of criminal trespass to a vehicle at 1:01 p.m. May 29 at the police station, 1350 Aurora Ave.
    Steve Metsch, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Compunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compunction. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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