as in ashamed
feeling sorrow for a wrong that one has done
he appeared not the least bit compunctious about ditching his friends at the restaurant and leaving them to pay the bill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compunctious
Adjective
-
At their most effective, residential schools left Survivors ashamed and confused about being Indigenous.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026 -
Mike Isaac, a veteran tech reporter for the Times, wasn’t ashamed to admit that Brockman had inspired him to secure his own butt pillow.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
There’s just too many quality teams for an underdog to go all the way – sorry to any USMNT fans out there.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
The Pasadena Playhouse — sorry, just Pasadena Playhouse — is an anomaly.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Austin said Quiros-Soto has remained cooperative throughout the process, and during his interview, appeared to be calm and remorseful.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
Peters doesn’t appear especially remorseful.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Be apologetic for the inconvenience.—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
6 May 2026
-
Streep imitated how Hawn, 80, would arrive on set, always apologetic.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
But with Hoskins facing the Phillies once again, now as a member of the Cleveland Guardians, Harper sent a regretful response on that decision.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
Dusabejambo listened to harrowing stories from survivors and heard brutal confessions from regretful perpetrators.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Compunctious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compunctious. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
