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Selfless vs Compassionate - What's the difference?

selfless | compassionate |

As adjectives the difference between selfless and compassionate

is that selfless is having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself but for others; unselfish while compassionate is having, feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic.

As a verb compassionate is

(archaic) to feel compassion for; to pity, feel sorry for.

selfless

English

(wikipedia selfless)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself but for others; unselfish.
    • In a selfless act of gratitude for saving his mother's life, Peter committed to giving money to his local breast cancer charity each year for the rest of his life.

    Derived terms

    * selflessness

    compassionate

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having, feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic.
  • * South
    • There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate .
  • Of a leave, given to someone because of a domestic emergency.
    • compassionate leave
  • (obsolete) Inviting pity; pitiable.
    • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * ruthful

    Verb

    (compassionat)
  • (archaic) To feel compassion for; to pity, feel sorry for.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1903, author=William Godwin, title=Caleb Williams, chapter=, edition= citation
    • , passage=And yet I could not help bitterly compassionating the honest fellow, brought to the gallows, as he was, strictly speaking, by the machinations of that devil incarnate, Mr. Tyrrel. }}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1895, author=J. Sheridan Le Fanu, title=The Evil Guest, chapter=, edition= citation
    • , passage=The good Mrs. Mervyn accompanied these words with looks so sly, and emphasis so significant, that Rhoda was fain to look down, to hide her blushes; and compassionating the confusion she herself had caused, the kind old lady led her to the chamber which was henceforward, so long as she consented to remain, to be her own apartment. }}
  • * 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, p. 50:
    • The justice which Mr Allworthy had executed on Partridge at first met with universal approbation; but no sooner had he felt its consequences, than his neighbours began to relent, and to compassionate his case [...].