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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

  1. contribute,
  2. contribution,
  3. contributor,
  4. contributory,
  5. contributory negligence,
  6. contritely,
  7. contrition,
  8. contrivance,
  9. contrive,
  10. contrived

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 Formscontritely, 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
Word Origin and History for contrite

contrite

adj.

c.1300, from Old French contrit and directly from Latin contritus, literally "worn out, ground to pieces," past participle of conterere "to grind," from com- "together" (see com-) + terere "to rub" (see throw (v.)). Used in English in figurative sense of "crushed in spirit by a sense of sin." Related: Contritely.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper