a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.
any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.
Origin of compunction
1350–1400; Middle English compunccion (<Anglo-French ) <Late Latin compūnctiōn- (stem of compūnctiō), equivalent to Latin compūnct(us), past participle of compungere to prick severely (com-com- + pungere to prick; cf. point) + -iōn--ion
Salazar, as Win at All Costs reminds us, had no compunction about gaming therapeutic-use-exemption rules to get his runners on medication for the specific purpose of performance enhancement.
A New Book on Nike Pulls No Punches|Martin Fritz Huber|October 2, 2020|Outside Online
He had been audited when he was out of office, and now he had no compunction about using his power as president.
IRS Audits, Benghazi, Sebelius: Obama’s Second Term Is Scandal Heaven|Eleanor Clift|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is a man who has traveled to Iran and China with no compunction.
Hawking's Bad Boycott Timing|Gil Troy|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Penn State students, however, have shown no compunction about buying up as many season tickets as possible.
Penn State's Economic Fallout: Will the Sandusky Scandal Sink a Whole City?|Matthew Zeitlin|July 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When I get them alone, I have no compunction about blowing them to bits.
Daniel Klaidman on the Mind of a Drone Strike Operator|Daniel Klaidman|June 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Today, however, ambitious politicians feel no compunction at launching initial campaigns as strangers and newcomers.
Do Hometowns Matter? Why Politicians’ Geography Is Becoming Irrelevant||April 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
What heart is forever exempt from the goadings of compunction and the influx of laudable propensities?
Wieland; or The Transformation|Charles Brockden Brown
Two hours afterwards Hardress himself arrived in a fit of compunction.
The World's Greatest Books, Volume V.|Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.
But she loved Dick in her heart for being a bear, and evinced both her compunction and her appreciation in peculiar graciousness.
Viviette|William J. Locke
He was very tender with Phœbe that night, for his heart was wrung with compunction.
The Return of the Prodigal|May Sinclair
There was no longer any compunction—she would strike now and deep.
The Girl of the Golden West|David Belasco
British Dictionary definitions for compunction
compunction
/ (kəmˈpʌŋkʃən) /
noun
a feeling of remorse, guilt, or regret
Derived forms of compunction
compunctious, adjectivecompunctiously, adverb
Word Origin for compunction
C14: from Church Latin compunctiō, from Latin compungere to sting, from com- (intensive) + pungere to puncture; see point