3 syllables: com, pro, mised. Stress on com.
KAHM-pruh-meyezd
/ˈkɑmpɹəˌmaɪzd/
compromised is pronounced KAHM-pruh-meyezd (/ˈkɑmpɹəˌmaɪzd/). It has three syllables (com-pro-mised), with the stress on "com". Compromised describes something that has been exposed to risk, weakened, or impaired, often through a failure to maintain standards or integrity. In formal contexts, it can refer to security or ethical breaches; in everyday speech, it denotes a state of reduced condition or quality due to some vulnerability or concession. The term combines the idea of an agreement or concession with a loss of full integrity or safety.
Compromised describes something that has been exposed to risk, weakened, or impaired, often through a failure to maintain standards or integrity. In formal contexts, it can refer to security or ethical breaches; in everyday speech, it denotes a state of reduced condition or quality due to some vulnerability or concession. The term combines the idea of an agreement or concession with a loss of full integrity or safety.
"The breach of the firewall left the system compromised and vulnerable to further intrusion."
"By agreeing to the terms, they compromised their standards for expediency."
"Her health was compromised after the long and stressful case."
Pronounce it as /ˈkɒm.prə.maɪzd/. Start with a strong K sound, stress the first syllable, then a quick schwa in the middle, and finish with a clear /maɪzd/ cluster. In careful speech, keep the /pr/ blend neat and avoid introducing a vowel between /m/ and /pr/. You’ll find the strong first beat anchors your rhythm in connected speech.
Common errors include flattening the middle unstressed syllable to a full vowel (too much /ə/), turning /maɪzd/ into /maɪz/ or /mazd/, and misplacing the /r/ or adding an extra vowel between /m/ and /pr/. Correct by preserving the schwa in the second syllable and keeping the /pr/ cluster tight. Practice with minimal pairs like /ˈkɒm.prə.maɪzd/ vs /ˈkɒm.prɪ.maɪzd/ to feel the difference.
In US English, /ˈkɑːm.prə.maɪzd/ with rhoticity affecting the first vowel is common in some dialects, while UK speakers may maintain more rounded /ɒ/ in the first syllable and a slightly sharper /ɪ/ in the third. Australian tends to a shorter, flatter middle syllable with non-rhoticity affecting linking. Across accents, the main differences are vowel quality in the first syllable and the rhoticity of the /r/ in rapid speech.
The difficulty lies in the unstressed middle syllable and the /pr/ cluster, which requires a quick transition from a labial /m/ to a strong /p/ release into /r/ without inserting a vowel. Also, the diphthong in /maɪzd/ can blur if the final /zd/ is too abrupt. Maintain a crisp /m/ to /pr/ sequence and glide smoothly into /aɪ/ before the final /zd/.
No, there are no silent letters in compromised. Every letter contributes to the pronunciation: the first syllable has a clear /k/, middle contains /pr/ and a schwa, and the final /d/ closes the word. The ed ending is pronounced as /d/ after the voiced /z/ in /maɪzd/.
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Compromised comes from the prefix com- meaning together or with, and the root from the verb kompromiss in German and Latin compromisus, tied to the idea of a mutual concession or settlement. In English, compromise originally carried the sense of a mutual concession that could alter the balance of a deal. By the late 16th to 17th centuries, it began to be used more broadly to indicate a weakening or impairment resulting from concessions or exposure to opposing factors. The modern sense—an adverse alteration in status, safety, or integrity due to risk exposure—emerged as ethics, law, and security contexts adopted the term to describe compromised systems or standards. First known uses appear in legal and diplomatic contexts in Europe, where treaties and settlements involved compromises; over time, the word expanded into medical, cybersecurity, and everyday usage to describe anything that has been degraded or endangered by external pressures.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "compromised" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "compromised" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "compromised"
-sed sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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