as in doubt
an uneasy feeling about the rightness of what one is doing or going to do
throughout her school years she cheated without compunction
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Recent Examples of compunction
The boundaries of the world are delineated neatly by your compunctions.
—
Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
But other activists also give in when faced with enormous pressure from a state that has no compunction about arranging killings and targeting family members.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
And that includes absolutely no compunction about sharing the time Sharon decided to destroy husband Ozzy's drugs in an attempt to keep him sober.
—People Staff, People.com, 9 Aug. 2025
There are times to treat the antics of corrupt, irresponsible, or supine leaders of small but strategically placed countries with bemused detachment, and other times, like now, to twist their arms without compunction.
—Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for compunction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compunction
Noun
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Cameron Winter’s lyrics have an air of inscrutable mysticism, but there is little doubt he’s supposed to be the one singing them.—
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Tonga has missed the past three games, which puts his availability for Sunday’s Wild Card showdown with the Chargers in significant doubt.—
Noun
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Mainstream Republicans and right-leaning unaffiliated voters will gravitate to candidates with experience and scruples.—
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For Jay Gatsby, a man of immense wealth and few scruples, almost nothing is beyond his voracious appetite for excess.—
Noun
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The film may initially present Man-su as a sympathetic family man trying to make ends meet, but Lee quickly subverts those sentiments once Man-su’s methodical process betrays no sense of remorse.—
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In the transcript, Neves Valente repeatedly refused to express remorse.—
Noun
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At a City Hall news conference, the mayor responded to a question about retroactive changes to the 2026 budget, which aldermen passed over his objections last month, by reiterating the package could force personnel cuts.—
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During the certification process, members of Congress have the opportunity to object to a state’s results, which triggers debate and then a vote about whether the objection is to be upheld.—
Noun
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But if Venezuela, after inevitable turmoil in the near term, thrives, perhaps even helping to spread regional prosperity and security, those qualms won’t matter.—
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As for the stigma that may come with having used a weight-loss drug, Gaffigan has no qualms about it.—
Noun
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While many key figures—including Bush and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell—later expressed regret over the absence of WMDs and policy missteps, Cheney famously defended the invasion and the narrative around it in the following years.—
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For viewers and those who had a hand in making the show, the only regret is that there isn’t more Patriot to devour.—
Noun
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Both adamantly denied their guilt at their arraignment.—
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In a no contest plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but does not contest the charges and accepts punishment.—
Cite this Entry
“Compunction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compunction. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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