2. A picking of heart; poignant grief proceeding from a sense of guilt or consciousness of causing pain; the sting of conscience. He acknowledged his disloyalty to the king, with expressions of great compunction. Clarendon.
Syn. — Compunction, Remorse, Contrition. Remorse is anguish of soul under a sense of guilt or consciousness of having offened God or brought evil upon one's self or others. Compunction is the pain occasioned by a wounded and awakened conscience. Neither of them implies true contrition, which denotes self-condemnation, humiliation, and repentance. We speak of the gnawings of remorse; of compunction for a specific act of transgression; of deep contrition in view of our past lives. See Regret.
COMPUNCTIONLESS
Com*punc"tion*less, a.
Defn: Without compunction.
COMPUNCTIOUS
Com*punc"tious, a.
Defn: Of the nature of compunction; caused by conscience; attended with, or causing, compunction. That no compunctious vistings of nature Shake my fell purpose. Shak.
COMPUNCTIOUSLY
Com*punc"tious*ly, adv.
Defn: With compunction.
COMPUNCTIVE
Com*punc"tive, a.
Defn: Sensitive in respect of wrongdoing; conscientious. [Obs.] Jer.
Taylor.