Synonyms for compassion
kəmˈpæʃ əncom·pas·sion

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. compassionnoun

   Synonyms:
   ruth, mercy, kindness, sorrow, empathy, tenderheartedness, heart, pity

2. compassionnoun

   Deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it

   Synonyms:
   tenderheartedness, empathy, pity, mercy, ruth, sorrow, kindness, heart

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. compassion

   Mercy is the exercise of less severity than one deserves, or in a more extended sense, the granting of kindness or favor beyond what one may rightly claim. Grace is favor, kindness, or blessing shown to the undeserving; forgiveness, mercy, and pardon are exercised toward the ill-deserving. Pardon remits the outward penalty which the offender deserves; forgiveness dismisses resentment or displeasure from the heart of the one offended; mercy seeks the highest possible good of the offender. There may be mercy without pardon, as in the mitigation of sentence, or in all possible alleviation of necessary severity; there may be cases where pardon would not be mercy, since it would encourage to repetition of the offense, from which timely punishment might have saved. Mercy is also used in the wider sense of refraining from harshness or cruelty toward those who are in one's power without fault of their own; as, they besought the robber to have mercy. Clemency is a colder word than mercy, and without its religious associations, signifying mildness and moderation in the use of power where severity would have legal or military, rather than moral sanction; it often denotes a habitual mildness of disposition on the part of the powerful, and is matter rather of good nature or policy than of principle. Leniency or lenity denotes an easy-going avoidance of severity; these words are more general and less magisterial than clemency; we should speak of the leniency of a parent, the clemency of a conqueror. Compare PITY.

   Synonyms:
   benevolence, benignity, blessing, clemency, favor, forbearance, forgiveness, gentleness, grace, kindness, lenience, leniency, lenity, mercy, mildness, pardon, pardon, pity, tenderness

   Antonyms:
   cruelty, hardness, harshness, implacability, justice, penalty, punishment, revenge, rigor, severity, sternness, vengeance

   Preposition:
   The mercy of God to or toward sinners; have mercy on or upon one.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 3 votes

1. compassion

   Synonyms:
   pity, sympathy, condolence, tenderness, fellow-feeling, commiseration, pardon

   Antonyms:
   hardheartedness, unforgiveness, cruelty, antipathy, denunciation, condemnation, vindictiveness, retaliation

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. compassion, compassionatenessnoun

   a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering

   Synonyms:
   compassionateness, pity

2. compassion, pitynoun

   the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it

   Synonyms:
   shame, commiseration, pathos, compassionateness, pity, ruth

Matched Categories

1. • Mercifulness
   • Sympathy

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. compassionnoun

   Synonyms:
   pity, commiseration, sympathy, tenderness, kindness, kindliness, clemency, fellow-feeling, bowels of compassion, melting mood

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. compassionnoun

   Synonyms:
   pity, sympathy, commiseration, condolence mercy

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "compassion":

   sympathy, compassionate, caring, empathy, mercy, warm-heartedness, pity

How to pronounce compassion?

How to say compassion in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use compassion in a sentence?

1. Rush Limbaugh:

   Compassion is no substitute for justice.

2. Jodie Gedeon via AP:

   It tells me that people have compassion and humanity and don’t agree with what happens.

3. Tyler Perry:

   The Passion is about love, inclusion and compassion for all mankind, it's for believers and also nonbelievers. It's for all faiths and all backgrounds. This story doesn't just belong to one group, it belongs to humanity. Love, forgiveness and compassion, those are things that are universal to us all.

4. Sheriff Chad Chronister:

   While these inmates put our deputy in danger, there were others who did the right thing by coming to Bridgette Harvey aid, and for that, I am grateful, thanks to the quick response of our Emergency Response Team and the inmates who showed compassion to help our deputy, a dire situation turned into the safe rescue of Deputy Lillian Jimenez.

5. Sarah Sanders:

   I explained that the restaurant has certain standards that I feel it has to uphold, such as honesty, and compassion, and cooperation.