Dictionary.com

contrite

[ kuhn-trahyt, kon-trahyt ]
/ kənˈtraɪt, ˈkɒn traɪt /
See synonyms for: contrite / contriteness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

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Origin of contrite

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

OTHER WORDS FROM contrite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to contrite

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

Example sentences 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 of contrite

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