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compassion

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of compassion

1 sorrow or the capacity to feel sorrow for anotherʼs suffering or misfortune

  • treats the homeless with great compassion
Synonyms of compassion

commiseration, feeling, sympathy
Words Related to compassion

condolence, regret

humaneness, humanity, kindheartedness, kindliness, kindness, mercy, pity, ruth, softheartedness, warmheartedness

affinity, empathy, rapport, sensitivity, understanding

altruism, benevolence, benignity, bigheartedness, charity, generosity, goodwill, humanitarianism, largeheartedness, largesse (also largess), magnanimity, philanthropy
Near Antonyms of compassion

indifference, insensitivity, unconcern

cruelty, harshness, inhumanity

animosity, antipathy, dislike, hatred, hostility
Antonyms of compassion

callousness, coldheartedness, hard-heartedness, heartlessness

2 the capacity for feeling for anotherʼs unhappiness or misfortune

  • has no compassion for people who squander their money
Synonyms of compassion

bigheartedness, charity, commiseration, feeling, good-heartedness, heart, humanity, kindheartedness, kindliness, kindness, largeheartedness, mercy, pity, ruth, softheartedness, sympathy, warmheartedness
Words Related to compassion

feelings, responsiveness, sensibility, sensitivity

affection, love, regard

affinity, empathy, rapport

altruism, benevolence, benignancy, benignity, generosity, goodwill, humaneness, humanism, humanitarianism, philanthropy
Near Antonyms of compassion

callousness, coldness, disinterest, indifference, unconcern

cruelty, harshness

animosity, antipathy, dislike, hatred, hostility
Antonyms of compassion

coldheartedness, hard-heartedness, inhumanity, inhumanness, mercilessness, pitilessness

Synonym Discussion of compassion

pity, compassion, commiseration, condolence, sympathy mean the act or capacity for sharing the painful feelings of another. pity implies tender or sometimes slightly contemptuous sorrow for one in misery or distress.
    • felt pity for the captives
compassion implies pity coupled with an urgent desire to aid or to spare.
    • treats the homeless with great compassion
commiseration suggests pity expressed outwardly in exclamations, tears, or words of comfort.
    • murmurs of commiseration filled the loser's headquarters
condolence applies chiefly to formal expression of grief to one who has suffered loss.
    • expressed their condolences to the widow
sympathy often suggests a tender concern but can also imply a power to enter into another's emotional experience of any sort.
    • went to my best friend for sympathy
    • in sympathy with her desire to locate her natural parents

Learn More about compassion

  1. See words that rhyme with compassion Dictionary: Definition of compassion Spanish Central: Translation of compassion Nglish: Translation of compassion for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of compassion for Arabic speakers

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