Compunctious

Pronunciation: /kəmˈpʌŋkʃəs/

Definitions of compunctious

adjective feeling guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something

Example Sentences

A1 I felt compunctious after accidentally stepping on the cat's tail.

A2 She was compunctious about missing her friend's birthday party.

B1 The thief showed no compunctious behavior when caught stealing from the store.

B2 Despite his compunctious feelings, he couldn't bring himself to apologize for his actions.

C1 Her compunctious nature led her to donate a large sum of money to charity.

C2 The politician's compunctious attitude towards the environment earned him praise from environmental activists.

Examples of compunctious in a Sentence

formal The judge displayed a compunctious attitude towards the defendant's remorse.

informal She felt compunctious about skipping her friend's birthday party.

slang I'm not feeling very compunctious about bailing on the concert.

figurative His compunctious heart led him to make amends for his past mistakes.

Grammatical Forms of compunctious

• past tense: compuncted
• plural: compunctiouses
• comparative: more compunctious
• superlative: most compunctious
• present tense: compuncts
• future tense: will compunct
• perfect tense: have compuncted
• continuous tense: is compuncting
• singular: compunctious
• positive degree: compunctious
• infinitive: to compunct
• gerund: compuncting
• participle: compuncting

Origin and Evolution of compunctious

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'compunctious' originated from the Latin word 'compunctiosus' which means 'pricking' or 'piercing'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe a feeling of remorse or guilt, the word 'compunctious' has evolved over time to also connote a sense of regret or unease.