compassionate
gb/kəmpˈæʃənɪt/ us/kəmpˈæʃənɪt/
B2
English
~ 8200
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
showing kindness to suffering people
Feeling and showing care for someone who is sad, sick, or in trouble, and wanting to help them.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is compassionate (toward [someone])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "compassionate" with "passionate." "Compassionate" means kind and caring toward someone who is suffering, while "passionate" means having strong feelings or enthusiasm about something. Another mistake is using it only for feelings and not behavior; in fact, it usually implies both feeling and acting with kindness.
Synonyms
kind (More general and common; does not always include an idea of understanding another's suffering.)
|
caring (Suggests warm concern and support, often in personal relationships; a bit less formal than "compassionate.")
|
empathetic (Focuses on understanding another person's feelings; may not always include active help the way "compassionate" does.)
Antonyms
heartless (Suggests a complete lack of feeling or concern for others' pain; a strong opposite in emotional tone.)
|
cruel (Not only lacking compassion but actually causing or enjoying others' suffering.)
Collocations
deeply compassionate
|a compassionate person
|a compassionate response
|a compassionate decision
|compassionate toward others
|compassionate leave
Themes
emotions
|character
|relationships
|society
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She is known as a compassionate doctor who always takes time to listen to her patients.
- The judge made a compassionate decision and gave the young man a second chance.
- We need more compassionate policies that protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.
- He wrote a compassionate letter to the family after hearing about their loss.
- Volunteers offered compassionate support to refugees arriving at the border.
Learner examples
- The nurse was very compassionate and tried to comfort the sick child.
- My boss was compassionate when my mother was in the hospital.
- People want a leader who is strong but also compassionate.
- Her words were honest but compassionate, not unkind.
- He is always compassionate toward animals that are hurt.
Verb
archaic
C1
action
2
to feel pity for someone
To feel sad for someone because they suffer and to care about their pain.
Usage pattern:
to compassionate [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners may think "to compassionate" is a normal modern verb because it looks like other verb forms, but in contemporary English it is almost never used outside of historical or religious texts. Use "to feel compassion for" or "to pity" instead.
Synonyms
pity (The common modern verb; can sometimes sound slightly condescending.)
|
feel for (Informal phrasal verb; common in speech, less formal than "compassionate.")
Antonyms
ignore (To pay no attention to someone's suffering; opposite in terms of emotional response.)
Collocations
compassionate the poor
|compassionated by others
|compassionate their suffering
Themes
emotions
|literature
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He was compassionated by all who heard his sad story.
- The saints were said to compassionate the suffering of the poor.
- She could not but compassionate the children left without parents.
Learner examples
- In this old story, the king does not compassionate the weak.
- The writer asks the reader to compassionate the lonely hero.
- This verb "to compassionate" is old and is not used in modern speech.
Grammar
Dictionary form
compassionate
IPA
GB/kəmpˈæʃənɪt/
US/kəmpˈæʃənɪt/
Syllables & stress
com - pas - sion - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (pas)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: compassionate
Word family
Core family
compassion
noun B1
compassionately
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
uncompassionate
adjective
uncompassionately
adverb
Expressions
compassionate leave
1/kəmpˈæʃənɪt lˈiv/
fixed phrase
formal
paid leave for family emergency
Time away from work that your employer gives you, usually paid, when a close family member dies or is very sick, or when you have a serious personal problem.
Examples
- The company granted him three days of compassionate leave after his father's death.
- Employees can apply for compassionate leave in cases of serious family emergencies.
- She took compassionate leave to care for her critically ill mother.
compassionate release
1/kəmpˈæʃənɪt ɹilˈis/
fixed phrase
formal
early prison release for hardship
When a government or prison lets a prisoner leave jail earlier than normal because the prisoner is very sick or in another extreme situation.
Examples
- He was granted compassionate release after doctors confirmed he had only months to live.
- Activists called for the compassionate release of elderly inmates during the health crisis.
- The court refused to approve compassionate release, saying the legal conditions were not met.
compassionate use
1/kəmpˈæʃənɪt jˈus/
fixed phrase
technical
access to experimental treatment
A special medical rule that lets very sick patients use new drugs or treatments that are not fully approved yet, when no other treatment can help them.
Examples
- The new drug was made available under a compassionate use program for terminal patients.
- Doctors applied for compassionate use so their patient could receive the experimental therapy.
- Regulators tightened the rules on compassionate use to protect patient safety.
on compassionate grounds
1/ˈɔn kəmpˈæʃənɪt ɡɹˈaʊndz/
fixed phrase
formal
for reasons of hardship or suffering
For a reason connected to someone's serious suffering or very difficult situation, used especially in official or legal decisions.
Examples
- The prisoner was released early on compassionate grounds because of his terminal illness.
- Her visa application was approved on compassionate grounds after officials reviewed her case.
- The school made an exception on compassionate grounds and allowed him to submit the work late.