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Definition of "compassionate" []

  • Feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic. See Synonyms at humane. (adjective)
  • Granted to an individual because of an emergency or other unusual circumstances: compassionate military leave. (adjective)
  • To pity. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "compassionate" in a sentence
  • "SOME ON THE RIGHT argue that by putting the word compassionate in front of conservatism, George W. Bush somehow diminished the principles that have animated the conservative movement since at least the rise of Barry Goldwater in 1964."
  • "If I hear one more time the term compassionate conservatism, I will scream."
  • "COOPER: Are we going to hear the term compassionate conservative?"