compassion
/kəmˈpæʃ.ən/ noun, verb
Forms compassions compassioning compassioned
- noun Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.
- noun (by extension, psychology) Deep awareness of the individual experiences of suffering of others or themselves that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such experiences, as reflected by the psychological term self-compassion. “True leadership lies in compassion, not in coercion.”
- verb (obsolete) To pity.
Synonyms
empathy mercy ruth pity sorrow tenderheartedness bowels commiseration fellow feeling remorse rue sympathy loving-kindness kindness heart commiserate feel sorry for compassionate condole feel someone's pain compassionateness
Antonyms
compassionlessness pitilessness ruthlessness uncompassion unpity
Etymology
From Middle English compassioun, compassion, from Old French compassion, from Ecclesiastical Latin compassio (“sympathy”), from Latin compati, past participle compassus (“to suffer together with”), from com- (“together”) + pati (“to suffer”); see passion. By surface analysis, com- + passion.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Literally, suffering with another; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration.
- verb To pity. [Obs.] Shak.
Etymology [F., fr. L. compassio, fr. compati to have compassion; com- + pati to bear, suffer. See Patient.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “compassion”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details