Meaning & use
compassion
Last updated
UK/kəmˈpæʃn/
US/kəmˈpæʃn/
Meaning
noununcountable
A caring feeling toward someone who is suffering, together with a wish to help.
Grammar: Uncountable; often compassion for someone.
Patterns
- compassion for someone
- show compassion to someone
The nurse treated every patient with compassion.
She felt great compassion for the refugees.
He showed no compassion for the losing team.
Common combinations
- show compassion
- Show compassion to others.
- deep compassion
- Deep compassion moved her.
- compassion for
- Compassion for the poor.
- act with compassion
- Act with compassion.
- compassion fatigue
- Nurses can suffer compassion fatigue.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sympathy
- Feeling sorry for someone, without necessarily helping.
- empathy
- Sharing another's feelings.
- mercy
- Stresses holding back punishment.
- pity
- May feel superior or distant.
Opposites
Word family
- compassionate adjective
- feeling or showing compassion
- compassionately adverb
- in a caring way
Commonly confused: compassion or compulsion?
compassion vs compulsion
A compulsion is a strong urge, not caring feeling.
Practice
Which shows compassion?
Choose one answer.
Compassion is caring and wanting to help.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “compassion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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