as in doubts
an uneasy feeling about the rightness of what one is doing or going to do
throughout her school years she cheated without compunction
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Recent Examples of compunctions
Russia and Ukraine show no compunctions about killing the civilians of their enemy.
—
Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
The boundaries of the world are delineated neatly by your compunctions.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
The boundaries of the world are delineated neatly by your compunctions.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compunctions
Noun
-
Through the research, and the collaboration, my doubts kept dissolving.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
Sneed’s testimony became the foundation of the prosecution’s case, and has, over the decades, spurred doubts about his conviction – Glossip has never wavered in maintaining his innocence.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In 2023-24, there could have been no qualms about which player better suited this Arsenal team.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
Still, despite the qualms of the public and politicians, there’s a torrent of capital for building new data centers.—
Kevin Williams,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Some members of the House have raised objections to provisions of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, in particular the ban on purchases by institutional investors.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
12 May 2026
-
Neither country’s domestic politics raised objections from the EBU, which viewed the contest purely as a broadcasting exercise, not a method for political accountability.—
Steven Blum,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Colonial authorities regularly questioned their character, scruples, and business practices; Grietje and Anthony returned the favor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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And like any good femme fatale, Maddy is given savvy at the expense of moral scruples.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Last week's final FOMC meeting under outgoing chair Jerome Powell, as well as subsequent statements from three officials, expressed misgivings about the direction of monetary policy.—
Sean Conlon,Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
-
There were misgivings among the cast about signing on to something as common as (gasp) a reality-television program, but most of them revel in spending time — and money — with each other.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compunctions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compunctions. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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