as in doubts
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 compunctions
Johnson clearly felt no such compunctions.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
Russia and Ukraine show no compunctions about killing the civilians of their enemy.
—Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
The boundaries of the world are delineated neatly by your compunctions.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
Russia and Ukraine show no compunctions about killing the civilians of their enemy.
—Oded J K Faran, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
The boundaries of the world are delineated neatly by your compunctions.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compunctions
Noun
-
Apple isn’t the only tech giant drawing doubts about its AI capabilities.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
While area colleges such as Rutgers and Seton Hall showed interest, Alvarado instead committed in September 2016 to Georgia Tech, whose coach, Josh Pastner, displayed faith in Alvarado despite doubts from others.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Activist teens or those with an interest in politics have similar qualms about AI.—
Staff Author,
Parents,
7 June 2026
-
Unlike her, my father had no qualms about breaking rules.—
Andrea Bajani,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Referees did not blow the whistle for a foul on the play, despite forceful objections from the Knicks bench.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
So why have these objections remained so potent?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Colonial authorities regularly questioned their character, scruples, and business practices; Grietje and Anthony returned the favor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
And like any good femme fatale, Maddy is given savvy at the expense of moral scruples.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Someone might have misgivings about something, but go along with their team, or their family, or their friends.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
Councilmember Carroll Fife, meanwhile, shares Houston’s rationale that voters should be allowed a say despite her own misgivings about centralizing power in a single individual.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compunctions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compunctions. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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