1
as in benevolent
having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others
a compassionate person by nature
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sympathetic
having or showing the capacity for sharing the feelings of another
a compassionate smile made the refugees feel a little better
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to pity
to have sympathy for
a gentle soul who could compassionate even the most reprobate of scoundrels and villains
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compassionate
Kent Ingle, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Some are fathers and mothers, others mentors, teachers, or maybe even just compassionate local and national leaders.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 17 Sep. 2025
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Yet while 67% of white people who are eligible for PrEP are on it, only 8% eligible Black people are, often citing lack of access to healthcare or to compassionate healthcare.
—Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 20 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for compassionate
Adjective
Many people want leaders who are authentic, compassionate and committed to something bigger than themselves.
—Verb
The solution is to shift from empathy to compassionate accountability: Instead of feeling with the person, focus on walking beside them while holding the line.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for compassionate
Adjective
-
Jesus and Belania shriek and thank Christian, who stands there looking like a benevolent fashion angel bestowing them with good luck.—
-
To achieve excellence in AI, nations need the compute, but also chip production, AI talent, workforce and corporate adoption, benevolent government regulation, and a thriving ecosystem of AI startups.—
Adjective
-
The sympathetic system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, while the parasympathetic system activates the body’s rest-and-digest mode.—
-
In that movie Beatty cast himself as a politically naïve newsman who became sympathetic to the Bolshevik (later Communist) cause.—
Verb
-
But pity the Globes, SAG, Critics Choice and other shows that used to thrive by getting to recognize television’s top new shows before the Emmys.—
-
Twenty-first-century indie shaped the identities of many Millennials, but it’s now often talked about with pitying nostalgia—as the bygone style of hipsters with handlebar mustaches pretending to be countercultural while making easy-listening music for hotel lobbies.—
Adjective
-
Our focus remains on creating safe, healthy, and kind schools that engage all students to embrace the power of learning.—
-
The reception in Telluride was kinder, positioning the film’s NYFF premiere to be the tiebreaker.—
Adjective
-
As the more intellectual and empathetic Vladimir, Winter achingly conveys his hopeful optimism and crippling realization that Godot, in fact, may never arrive.—
-
Told through empathetic interviews with his bandmates and family, Struebing’s ordeal becomes a tale of partial redemption and a lament about the failure of our justice system to meet the mental-health needs of people caught up in it.—
Adjective
-
Residents in the town of San Rafael have reported a series of attacks from a vicious brown squirrel that sent at least two people to the emergency room, according to the local humane society.—
-
His general advice to people attempting to craft humane, precise, and literate prose has scarcely aged, and his own bracing style still informs and delights.—
Adjective
-
Being empathic to the husband's struggles doesn't mean the wife should accept the situation, however.—
-
Tools for empathic communication—the scripts and rehearsed responses to intense emotion—ought to be taught in medicine.—
Adjective
-
With a mix of trendsetting content and thoughtful storytelling, our editors keep an eye on what’s now, what’s next, and what truly matters.—
-
But Kimmel—who also provided a thoughtful, compassionate response to the firestorm, thanking supporters on both sides of the aisle—hasn’t actually returned to a pre-Brendan Carr state of affairs.—
Cite this Entry
“Compassionate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compassionate. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share