BharatNotes Compassion
noun (mass noun)Usage in a UPSC answer
A welfare state worthy of the name must temper administrative efficiency with compassion, ensuring that the most marginalised citizens are seen not as statistics to be processed but as fellow human beings whose suffering demands a humane response.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
compassion (n), compassionate (adj/v), compassionately (adv), compassionateness (n), compassionless (adj)
Root
Latin com- = together + patī = to suffer → compatī = to suffer with → compassiō = fellow feeling
Etymology
From Latin compassiō ("fellow feeling"), from compatī ("to suffer with"), from com- ("together") + patī ("to suffer"); entered English through Old French in the 14th century.
Memory Hook
Com- ('with') + passion (from Latin pati, 'to suffer') = "to suffer WITH" someone — you feel their pain alongside them and want to ease it.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
Sympathetic concern for the suffering of others together with the impulse to relieve it. It is named among the foundational values in the GS4 syllabus, and the distinction that earns marks is the action component: empathy understands another's feeling, sympathy feels for them, and compassion moves toward relief. In administration this is the value that turns rule-following into responsive service, though it must be exercised within the bounds of fairness to others.
Don’t Confuse It With
Compassion combines feeling for suffering with the impulse to act. Empathy is understanding another's experience from within it. Sympathy is concern felt from outside. Pity implies superiority and is generally the wrong register for administrative writing.
Hindi Meaning
करुणा (karunā).
Common Questions
- What is compassion?
- Sympathetic concern for the suffering of others together with a desire to relieve it.
- How is compassion different from empathy?
- Empathy is understanding another person's feelings from their perspective. Compassion adds the impulse to act to relieve their suffering.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Mains 2022 · GS4 · 10 marks — Ethics in Public Administration
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Compassion” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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