compassion
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compassion
- /kəmˈpæʃ.ən/ UK, US
Rhymes with -æʃən
Where it comes from
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.
noun compassions
- Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states. Oh! the unspeakable privilege to have Him for our Father, who is the Father of mercies and compassions, and those not barren, fruitless pityings, for He is withal the God of all consolations.
- 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. Similarly to the practice of loving kindness, meditation on compassion towards our own experience builds the foundation for expansion of the circle of compassion towards others.
Similar: empathy, mercy, ruth, pity, sorrow, tenderheartedness, bowels, commiseration, compassion, fellow feeling, remorse, rue, sympathy, loving-kindness, kindness, heart · Opposite: compassionlessness, pitilessness, ruthlessness, uncompassion, unpity
verb compassions · compassioning · compassioned
-
To pity.
O heavens, can you hear a good man groan / And not relent, or not compassion him?
Similar: commiserate, feel sorry for, compassion, compassionate, condole, feel someone's pain, mercify, pity, rue, take pity
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: compassionateness, pity, compassionate, caring, sympathy, kindness, empathy, warm-heartedness, condolence, benevolence, mercy, clemency, gentleness, affection, pathos, concern
noun
Similar: empathy, mercy, ruth, pity, sorrow, tenderheartedness, bowels, commiseration, compassion, fellow feeling, remorse, rue, sympathy, loving-kindness, kindness, heart · Opposite: compassionlessness, pitilessness, ruthlessness, uncompassion, unpity
Translations
Every language
noun deep awareness of the suffering of another
| Español | compasión |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 동정 dongjeong |
| 日本語 | 同情 dōjō |
| 中文 | 同情 tóngqíng, 愛心 /爱心 àixīn |
| हिन्दी | दया dayā, करुणा karuṇā, संवेदना samvednā, सहानुभूति sahānubhūti |
| Kiswahili | rehema, huruma |
| Português | compaixão |
| Français | compassion |
| Deutsch | Mitleid, Erbarmen, Mitgefühl |
| Italiano | compassione |
| Ελληνικά | συμπόνια sympónia, ευσπλαχνία efsplachnía |
| Română | compasiune |
| Русский | сострада́ние sostradánije, сочу́вствие sočúvstvije, сопережива́ние sopereživánije |
| Tiếng Việt | từ bi, đồng cảm, lòng thương, lòng từ bi |
| العربية | رَحْمَة raḥma, شَفَقَة šafaqa |
| עברית | רַחֲמִים rakhamím, חֶמְלָה khemlá, אֶמְפַּתְיָה empatiá |
Talk about this word "compassion." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/compassion. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. compassion. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/compassion "compassion." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/compassion.Cite this
@misc{compassion_2026,
title = {compassion},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/compassion},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
