Synonyms of compassionate

compassionate 1 of 2

adjective

kəm-ˈpa-sh(ə-)nət 

1

as in benevolent

having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others

a compassionate person by nature

Synonyms & Similar Words

• benevolent
• kind
• humane
• sympathetic
• thoughtful
• gentle
• gracious
• friendly
• merciful
• kindly
• kindhearted
• generous
• nice
• beneficent
• sweet
• attentive
• humanitarian
• good-hearted
• benignant
• warmhearted
• softhearted
• tenderhearted
• good
• tender
• pleasant
• patient
• considerate
• warm
• solicitous
• charitable
• benign
• good-natured
• affable
• mild
• pitying
• soft
• noble
• selfless
• forgiving
• companionable
• tolerant
• genial
• liberal
• neighborly
• amicable
• cordial
• lenient
• unselfish
• forbearing
• altruistic
• magnanimous
• understanding
• philanthropic
• good-tempered
• comradely
• brotherly
• munificent
• unsparing
• openhearted
• clement
• cruelty-free
• greathearted
• freehanded
• anticruelty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cruel
• callous
• brutal
• heartless
• vicious
• savage
• sadistic
• unsympathetic
• inhuman
• unkind
• ruthless
• inhumane
• unfeeling
• barbaric
• barbarous
• bestial
• brute
• brutish
• pitiless
• truculent
• atrocious
• merciless
• insensate
• fiendish
• insensitive
• uncompassionate
• uncaring
• thoughtless
• severe
• hard-hearted
• cold-blooded
• tough
• stern
• unthinking
• harsh
• inconsiderate
• grim
• unsentimental
• unkindly
• malignant
• wanton
• hateful
• malicious
• virulent
• malevolent
• spiteful
• mean
• ironhearted
• nasty
• malign
• stonyhearted
• uncharitable
• heavy-handed
• hard-boiled
• antihumanitarian

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

• sympathetic
• empathetic
• humane
• empathic
• gentle
• understanding
• loving
• affectionate
• benevolent
• warm
• gracious
• merciful
• commiserative
• friendly
• charitable
• feeling
• kind
• sensitive
• perceptive
• kindly
• considerate
• magnanimous
• kindhearted
• tolerant
• lenient
• pitying
• softhearted
• warmhearted
• good-natured
• benignant
• tenderhearted
• congenial
• bighearted
• tender
• cordial
• good-tempered
• genial
• well-disposed
• largehearted
• clement
• ruthful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• callous
• heartless
• unsympathetic
• inhuman
• hard
• inhumane
• unfeeling
• insensitive
• obdurate
• thoughtless
• cold-blooded
• indifferent
• aloof
• insensate
• unthinking
• uncaring
• cool
• inconsiderate
• uninterested
• ruthless
• coldhearted
• hard-hearted
• unfriendly
• pitiless
• unloving
• merciless
• bigoted
• tough
• brutal
• stern
• severe
• harsh
• hostile
• oppressive
• grim
• unaffectionate
• unrelenting
• hateful
• abusive
• rough
• malicious
• unkind
• malevolent
• ungentle
• spiteful
• virulent
• disagreeable
• surly
• mean
• narrow-minded
• blinkered
• acrimonious
• rancorous
• small-minded
• hard-bitten
• hard-boiled
• ill-tempered
• ill-natured

compassionate

2 of 2

verb

kəm-ˈpa-shə-ˌnāt 

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

• pity
• love
• feel (for)
• bleed (for)
• sympathize (with)
• condole (with)
• yearn (over)
• commiserate (with)
• understand
• ache (for)
• sorrow (for)
• grieve (for)
• tolerate
• care (for)
• identify (with)
• empathize (with)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• disregard
• neglect
• hate
• overlook
• dislike
• scorn

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of compassionate

Adjective

Maintaining these essential exceptions ensures Florida’s laws remain both strong in protecting life and deeply compassionate toward victims of crime. — Yoni Anijar, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026

In Elliott’s Connecticut, the governor would send a busload of stern but compassionate counselors to protect workers hiding in their office where a gunman lurks. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026

Verb

Modern Legal is not only a firm dedicated to compassionate legal advocacy but also underscores the critical role of education in empowering individuals. — Chris Gallagher, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025

Yet while 67% of white people who are eligible for PrEP are on it, only 8% eligible Black people are, often citing lack of access to healthcare or to compassionate healthcare. — Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 20 Apr. 2023