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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitence
Noun
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In a statement provided to the judge handling his case, the father of three expressed remorse for his actions.—
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The court did also note Hwang’s expressions of remorse.—
Noun
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An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt: A 52-year-old woman from Naperville was arrested on two charges of vandalism at 11:54 a.m. Feb. 11 in the 700 block of Inland Circle.—
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Jude uses that and other topical references to set the action in the tumultuous present, although the guilt Orsolya faces could happen at any moment in history.—
Noun
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Alex Brown has no regrets about his actions on Love Is Blind.—
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Then, of course, there are the mistakes and regrets of someone doing this job for the first time.—
Noun
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No shame in losing Breanna Stewart was one of the players who advocated for the inclusion of the single-elimination tournament in Unrivaled’s schedule.—
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There’s no shame in losing to the Mavericks, but losing to these Mavericks is brutal.—
Cite this Entry
“Penitence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitence. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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