definitions

contrite

[ kuhn-trahyt, kon-trahyt ]
/ kənˈtraɪt, ˈkɒn traɪt /
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adjective

caused by or showing sincere remorse.
filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent: a contrite sinner.

RELATED WORDS

apologetic, repentant, humble, sorry, remorseful, conscience-stricken, penitent, sorrowful, compunctious, penitential, attritional, chastened

Nearby words

contribute, contribution, contributor, contributory, contributory negligence, contrite, contrition, contrivance, contrive, contrived, control

Origin of contrite

1300–50; Middle English contrit (< Anglo-French) < Latin contrītus worn down, crushed, past participle of conterere. See con-, trite

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contrite

British Dictionary definitions for contrite

contrite

/ (kənˈtraɪt, ˈkɒntraɪt) /

adjective

full of guilt or regret; remorseful
arising from a sense of shame or guiltcontrite promises
theol remorseful for past sin and resolved to avoid future sin

Derived Forms

contritely, adverbcontriteness, noun

Word Origin for contrite

C14: from Latin contrītus worn out, from conterere to bruise, from terere to grind
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012