Lenten
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or suitable for Lent.
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suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager.
adjective
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(often capital) of or relating to Lent
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archaic spare, plain, or meagre
lenten fare
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archaic cold, austere, or sombre
a lenten lover
Etymology
Origin of Lenten
First recorded before 900; Middle English lente(n) “spring, springtime, Lent,” noun use of Old English noun and adjective lengten, læncgten, lencten “spring, springtime, Lent; of springtime, Lenten”; later taken as an adjective ending in -en; see origin at Lent, -en 2
Vocabulary lists containing lenten
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the seventh century, the Catholic Church enforced strict Lenten rules, prohibiting the consumption of all meat, dairy, and eggs throughout the fasting season.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
There’s something valuable in the Christian practice of letting people determine their Lenten sacrifices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
It also marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
The posters will be released weekly over the course of this Lenten season leading up to Easter.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
The nun’s face was blanched out like Lenten candlewax.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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In the 12th and 13th centuries, spring was called lent or lenten, while fall was called harvest.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2018
As it happens, I was already on my annual lenten social media sabbatical when The Cambridge Analytica news broke.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2018
Last week he preached a lenten sermon at St. Stephen's Church at loth and Chestnut Sts.,
From Time Magazine Archive
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Shakespeare had no such "lenten" language in his thoughts; he wrote, as Mr. Becket tells us, "And my pure soot is hang'd!"
From Famous Reviews by R. Brimley Johnson
She is browed like a bristle with a sour lenten cheer; Had she once wet her whistle she could sing full clear Her pater-noster.
From "Everyman," with other interludes, including eight miracle plays by Ernest Rhys
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.