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
-
By the end, he's alienated (sorry) his wife and children, among others.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
-
Betting odds courtesy of Brendan Sor…sorry, couldn’t resist.—
Darren Cooper,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
The people hoping Henry Ruggs III could be paroled on Thursday were adamant he's improved as a person, is remorseful about the accident that killed a woman in a 2021 car crash, and is ready to re-enter society.—
Armando Salguero,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
In the arbitration hearing, the woman who hit me was crying and very remorseful.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2026
Adjective
-
Tank is double tasking from her phone, chatting with SPIN while waiting in line for a carwash, and Spence is off-screen, apologetic for not being fully dressed yet while trying to tie up some things at home.—
Selena Fragassi,
SPIN,
26 May 2026
-
Streep imitated how Hawn, 80, would arrive on set, always apologetic.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Dusabejambo listened to harrowing stories from survivors and heard brutal confessions from regretful perpetrators.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
The camera continues zooming out, revealing more segments of people, seemingly alluding to all the lives Park has destroyed in her quest for greed and power, which has ultimately left her regretful.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 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 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
