Compunctionless

/kəmˈpʌŋkʃənləs/ adjective

Definition

Without compunction; lacking guilt, regret, or hesitation; shameless.

Etymology

From 'compunction' + suffix '-less' (without). The suffix '-less' has been productive in English for over a thousand years, allowing speakers to create opposite meanings by negation.

Kelly Says

The phrase 'without compunction' appears constantly in crime reporting and psychology because psychopaths literally show reduced activation in brain regions that process guilt—they're neurologically accurate to the word's literal meaning.

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