as in doubt
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compunction
On the other hand, Emirati officials have shown little compunction about doing business with Israeli settlers or investing in occupation infrastructure such as Israeli checkpoints.
—
Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2025
Colvin never felt any ethical compunctions about selling solar panels.
—Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2025
Indulging the illusion that humans can control these systems while war is ongoing will tie democratic nations’ hands against adversaries with no such compunctions.
—Sebastian Elbaum, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2024
People with elevated psychopathic traits lie—constantly, intentionally, with great skill, and without compunction.
—Gautam Mukunda, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for compunction
Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 22 Jan. 2025
Colvin never felt any ethical compunctions about selling solar panels.
—Brendan I. Koerner, WIRED, 13 Jan. 2025
Indulging the illusion that humans can control these systems while war is ongoing will tie democratic nations’ hands against adversaries with no such compunctions.
—Sebastian Elbaum, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2024
People with elevated psychopathic traits lie—constantly, intentionally, with great skill, and without compunction.
—Gautam Mukunda, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for compunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compunction
Noun
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However, there is no doubt that the bigger names attract more viewers and larger paychecks.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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Without a doubt there are people who would pay serious money to see Jeffrey Katzenberg hanging out and trudging through the sand and dirt at Burning Man.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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And third, anyone without scruples can sell prescription opioids on the black market.—
Keith Humphreys,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Apr. 2018
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Seen against the backdrop of recent events, Vought’s disdain for the rule-of-law scruples of Federalist Society legal thinkers seems entirely in line with Trump’s recent post suggesting a federal judge shouldn’t have authority over his administration.—
Stephen Engelberg,
ProPublica,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The state was an ironic location for a summit given Russia’s continuing seller’s remorse over having sold it to America in the mid-19th century.—
James Stavridis,
Twin Cities,
19 Aug. 2025
-
The referee agreed with Warner’s claimed mitigation factors of remorse, an absence of dishonest or selfish motive, cooperating with the proceedings and dealing with personal or emotional problems.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Our team listens to real sales calls, analyzes objections and then builds assets with sales input.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Historically, the committee policy — set by the chairman — has been that a single objection would halt a nominee’s path to confirmation.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Trump’s approach is tied in part to a strategy that has become increasingly apparent to foreign trade officials involved in late-stage talks: Trump has no qualms about letting those higher tariffs go into place – a message he’s delivered repeatedly in public over the last several weeks.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
30 July 2025
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And Cain, who has been conservative most of his life — save for casting a vote twice for Bill Clinton — has zero qualms about critiquing Hollywood’s leftward bent.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Rice has said a lot of the right things — or at least his attorney has said the right things on his behalf — to acknowledge his regret and his guilt.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Aug. 2025
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Indeed, the team bus was yet to depart from the ground when Bowen took to social media to express his regret over the situation.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That being said, the guilt of leaving for me-time creeps in for so many parents at the end of a long day.—
Staff Author Updated,
Parents,
18 Aug. 2025
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The guilt of constantly replacing them adds up, and my sweet husband works so hard to help me.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compunction. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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