compunctious — feeling or showing remorse or regret; having a guilty conscience
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: feeling or showing remorse or regret; having a guilty conscience
Pronunciation (IPA): /kəmˈpʌŋkʃəs/
Example Sentences
- The politician became compunctious after realizing his campaign promises were impossible to keep.
- Tom felt compunctious about eating his roommate's last slice of pizza at 2 AM.
- She was compunctious about skipping her grandmother's birthday party to go on a date.
compunctious
ADJECTIVE[/kəmˈpʌŋkʃəs/]
feeling or showing remorse or regret; having a guilty conscience
After breaking his sister's vase, the boy looked compunctious and offered to fix it.
The punctilious chef feels compunctious while his unctuous assistant feigns concern!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin 'compunctio' meaning 'a pricking or stinging.' The word originally described the sharp, piercing feeling of guilt or remorse, as if one's conscience were being pricked by a needle.
Breakdown
com- (together/intensely) + pung- (to prick/sting) + -ious (adjective suffix meaning 'full of')
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The politician became compunctious after realizing his campaign promises were impossible to keep.”
“Tom felt compunctious about eating his roommate's last slice of pizza at 2 AM.”
“She was compunctious about skipping her grandmother's birthday party to go on a date.”
“The cat looked surprisingly compunctious after knocking over the expensive vase.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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