compassionate 1 of 2

adjective

kəm-ˈpa-sh(ə-)nət How to pronounce compassionate (audio)
Definition of compassionatenext
1
as in benevolent
having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others a compassionate person by nature

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sympathetic
having or showing the capacity for sharing the feelings of another a compassionate smile made the refugees feel a little better

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

compassionate

2 of 2

verb

kəm-ˈpa-shə-ˌnāt How to pronounce compassionate (audio)
as in to pity
to have sympathy for a gentle soul who could compassionate even the most reprobate of scoundrels and villains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 compassionate
Adjective
The far left's open borders policy was not fair or compassionate. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Judges could sometimes consider changes to the law when deciding whether to grant compassionate release to inmates who had served at least 10 years. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 Perinatal palliative care is an important and compassionate option. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 Rodriguez described her daughter as kind, compassionate and full of life. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for compassionate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassionate
  1. benevolent
  2. sympathetic
  3. pity
  4. kind
  5. empathetic
  6. humane
  7. empathic
  8. thoughtful
Adjective
  • Larger-than-life Halloween celebrations rise up every October like the Great Pumpkin (or a benevolent spooky spirit or two) to captivate visitors with parades, caramel apples, costume contests, and more.
    — Michelle Mastro, Midwest Living, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Promotional images and films conjured a playful, adaptable and benevolent house — plastic as the building block of family happiness.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of benevolent
Adjective
  • Amy Adams’s Chrissie is more sympathetic and less interesting.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The investment in Sasha and Morgan has almost outgrown that of Joanne and Noah, and Lupe is sympathetic to the cause.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of sympathetic
Verb
  • Those who drive past our protests and yell insults or flip us the bird are to be pitied.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Raphinha, revelling in his new role as a No 9, scored twice (pity those two Feyenoord players mocked up in a canoe), while Lamine Yamal turned the pitch into a playground for 90 minutes.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of pity
Adjective
  • Shapira paints a picture of a kinder, gentler war, where technology takes soldiers away from the trenches and from the tanks, to a chair behind a screen.
    — Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Five days after Bela Bajaria was fired as Netflix‘s Chief Content Officer and replaced by Peter Rice, Ted Sarandos had nothing but kind words for his former loyal lieutenant, kinda.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of kind
Adjective
  • Anthony Minghella purposefully made a more dimensional and empathetic character [played by Matt Damon].
    — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • And so to have this entirely Black producing and directing team be so empathetic, was a moment of being seen.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of empathetic
Adjective
  • The bill also calls for humane placement of animals and assistance for displaced workers.
    — Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • There are also no state laws that say pet owners must dispose of their deceased animals in a humane manner, according to The Pet Memorial.
    — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of humane
Adjective
  • During July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the automaker’s bespoke McLaren Special Operations (MSO) division wowed the crowd with an expert and empathic one-off rebuild of the M6 GT.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2026
  • One of the fears concerning AI in fiction filmmaking is that the medium of cinema could lose the value of the empathic connection people have with other humans.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of empathic
Adjective
  • And Winnie-the-Pooh continues to sit, in a thoughtful sort of way, which is what very old bears in very nice glass cases mostly do.
    — STEVE HENDRIX THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • While the palette is narrow, thoughtful color moments are strategically placed through accents like carpets and textiles.
    — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of thoughtful

Browse Nearby Words

compassion
compassionate
compassionated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Compassionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassionate. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All