as in remorse
a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing
the sincerity of the player's penitence is questionable—he began to express remorse only after the suspension was handed down
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Recent Examples of penitence
In many religions, the sacrifice of hair can signal penitence.
—
Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023
An attempt by one German activist to shift attention to Russia’s current war showed just how ingrained the traditional focus on World War II penitence has become.
—Ekaterina Bodyagina, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last day of indulgence allowed before the period of fasting and penitence.
—al, 22 Feb. 2023
Guilt, confession, penitence — this legacy vocabulary of criminal justice calls back to a time when confinement was about reform and salvation, before modern punishment turned exclusively on physical torture, the amateur savagery of shower-rape jokes, random beat-downs, the cruelty of solitary.
—New York Times, 7 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for penitence
Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023
An attempt by one German activist to shift attention to Russia’s current war showed just how ingrained the traditional focus on World War II penitence has become.
—Ekaterina Bodyagina, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last day of indulgence allowed before the period of fasting and penitence.
—al, 22 Feb. 2023
Guilt, confession, penitence — this legacy vocabulary of criminal justice calls back to a time when confinement was about reform and salvation, before modern punishment turned exclusively on physical torture, the amateur savagery of shower-rape jokes, random beat-downs, the cruelty of solitary.
—New York Times, 7 June 2022
See All Example Sentences for penitence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitence
Noun
-
Inability to make eye contact could be interpreted as guilt or shame, while facial expressions contrary to the tone of the proceedings could be seen as cold or lacking remorse.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Mar. 2025
-
In an email following the discussions, Cox allegedly confirmed that King expressed remorse and apologized after confirming the accusations.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Casey Anthony’s guilt is essentially settled fact among true crime fans.—
Aja Romano,
Vox,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Even those who retain their jobs may deal with survivor’s guilt or anxiety over future job cuts.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In every scene, he's being devoured by regret, torn apart about doing the right thing, and simmering with an existential anxiety that could blow at any second.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
-
For the past year, the Brooklyn Center for Theater Research—a theatrical collective with downtown cool—has been immersed in an evolving production of Uncle Vanya, Anton Chekhov’s timeless study of regret, inertia and longing.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The production has a lot of recorded sound and this has its issues; some of the language therein is inaudible, which is a shame, albeit something easily corrected.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
-
First off, there’s no shame in losing your bibliophilic gusto at some point.—
Carolyn L. Todd,
SELF,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penitence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitence. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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