compunctious
Definition
Adjective - Experiencing remorse or guilt: "compunctious" describes a feeling of unease or regret after doing something wrong, often accompanied by a desire to make amends.
Usage Examples
- (She experienced guilt and regret for the deception.)
- (His remorseful apology came from genuine regret.)
- (He felt guilty and tried to correct his mistake.)
Advanced Usage
- "Compunctious" is a rare, formal adjective often used in literary or moral contexts to emphasize a deep, acute sense of wrongdoing.
- The politician’s compunctious silence during the scandal was telling. (His guilty silence revealed his regret.)
- It is typically used in a negative sense (e.g., "uncompunctious" means without remorse).
- He was uncompunctious about his cruel remarks. (He felt no guilt.)
Variants and Related Words
- Compunction (noun): a feeling of guilt or moral scruple.
- She had no compunction about taking the last piece of cake. (She felt no guilt.)
- Compunctiously (adverb): in a remorseful manner.
- He compunctiously returned the lost wallet to its owner. (He did so with regret.)
Synonyms
- Remorseful: feeling deep regret for a wrong committed.
- Penitent: feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing, often with a desire to reform.
- Contrite: feeling or expressing remorse, especially for a sin or mistake.
- Guilty: feeling responsible for a fault or offense.
Related Idioms
- To have a guilty conscience: to feel compunction or remorse.
- After the argument, he had a guilty conscience and called to apologize. (He felt compunctious.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Feel bad about: to experience compunction or regret.
- She felt bad about forgetting her mother’s birthday. (She was compunctious.)