Word a Day
compunction
What does compunction mean?
compunction (noun): a pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret, especially one which is slight or fleeting.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you pronounce compunction?
/kəmˈpʌŋkʃən/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does compunction come from?
From Middle English compunccion, borrowed from Old French compunction, from Late Latin compunctionem (“a pricking”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What are synonyms of compunction?
From Princeton WordNet 3.1.
Test yourself: do you know “compunction”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “compunction” mean?
any formal system of reasoning that arrives at a truth by the exchange of logical arguments
Not quite: that's what dialectic means.
a set of rules used for forming the names or terms in a particular field of arts or sciences
Not quite: that's what nomenclature means.
a pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret, especially one which is slight or fleeting
Right! That's what “compunction” means.
integrity, especially of the quality of having strong moral principles; decency and honesty
Not quite: that's what probity means.
Which word is closest in meaning to “compunction”?
trooper
Not quite: trooper means something else.
remorse
Right!
breadth
Not quite: breadth means something else.
stature
Not quite: stature means something else.
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