penance

American  

[pen-uhns] / ˈpɛn əns /

noun

1. a punishment undergone in token of penitence for sin.

2. a penitential discipline imposed by church authority.

3. a sacrament, as in the Roman Catholic Church, consisting in a confession of sin, made with sorrow and with the intention of amendment, followed by the forgiveness of the sin.

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penance British  

/ ˈpɛnəns /

noun

1. voluntary self-punishment to atone for a sin, crime, etc

2. a feeling of regret for one's wrongdoings

3. Christianity

   1. a punishment usually consisting of prayer, fasting, etc, undertaken voluntarily as an expression of penitence for sin

   2. a punishment of this kind imposed by church authority as a condition of absolution

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verb

1. (tr) (of ecclesiastical authorities) to impose a penance upon (a sinner)

penance Cultural  

1. Acts done to make up for sin. (See confession and indulgence.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• penanceless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of penance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-French; Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia penitence

Explanation

Penance is the act of doing a good deed to make up for past wrongs. Shoveling your neighbor's sidewalk all winter could be your penance for not helping rake the leaves that dropped from your tree into his yard during the fall. Although the noun penance can mean any remorse for past mistakes, or any voluntary action meant to right the wrong, Penance, with a capital P, also specifically refers to a sacrament in the Catholic Church. When a person receives Penance, he or she confesses sins to a priest, and along with a blessing, receives an order to do something, such as say certain prayers. This assignment is also called penance.

Example Sentences

What is that Penance Stare thing he’s doing?’

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Penance is a bubbly and awkward and granted the gift of technological innovation, through which she manipulates electricity.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2021

They brought out a horse, Penance, who was outfitted in goalie pads and trained to kneel reverently.

From New York Times • Feb. 18, 2019

Roman Catholic bishops issued a Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence, which did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays outside of Lent.

From Washington Times • Nov. 18, 2018

"The Challenge" appeared in the issue of April 30, 1887, and "Penance" almost two years later, March 9, 1889.

From The History of the Nineteenth Century in Caricature by Cooper, Frederic Taber

Related Words

• absolution
• atonement
• contrition
• forgiveness
• penitence
• remorse
• repentance
• retribution