compassion
kuhm-PASH-uhn
/kəmˈpæʃən/
A deep feeling of sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
Goes beyond passive feeling to include an actionable impulse to help or ease distress.
The story behind the word. Literally translating from Latin as 'suffering together', 'compassion' entered English through Anglo-French in the 14th century. It originally described sharing Christ's suffering before broadening into general altruistic relief of human distress.
Word relationships
- benevolence: General goodwill toward others, not necessarily triggered by suffering.
- mercy: Forgiveness or leniency toward someone in one's power to punish.
- cruelty: Deliberate infliction of pain or indifference to suffering.
- callousness: Insensitivity and cold disregard for others' distress.
Commonly confused with
- empathy: Empathy is feeling another's emotional state; compassion includes the active desire to relieve their suffering.
Word family
- compassionate (adjective): Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
- compassionately (adverb): In a manner that shows deep concern and desire to help.
Collocations
- deep compassion
- show compassion
- out of compassion
- compassion fatigue
Idioms & expressions
- bleeding heart
Example sentences
- "The disaster response team acted out of profound compassion for the displaced villagers." Humanitarian operations
- "Compassion is the desire that others be free from suffering and the causes of suffering." Philosophical literature (Dalai Lama XIV)
Memory hook
COM (together) + PASSION (intense feeling) = feeling intense sorrow TOGETHER and taking action. COM-PASSION = suffering TOGETHER to bring relief.
When not to use
Do not use when describing simple approval or agreement without suffering involved.
Fun facts
- In modern healthcare, 'compassion fatigue' is recognized as a legitimate medical burn-out state among emergency personnel.
Related words
Explore more words
compassionate, sympathetic, sympathize, humane, altruism, empathetic
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