contrition

American  

[kuhn-trish-uhn] / kənˈtrɪʃ ən /

noun

1. sincere penitence or remorse.

   Synonyms:

   regret, compunction

2. Theology. sorrow for and detestation of sin with a true purpose of amendment, arising from a love of God for His own perfections perfect contrition, or from some inferior motive, as fear of divine punishment imperfect contrition.

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contrition British  

/ kənˈtrɪʃən /

noun

1. deeply felt remorse; penitence

2. Christianity detestation of past sins and a resolve to make amends, either from love of God ( perfect contrition ) or from hope of heaven ( imperfect contrition )

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Etymology

Origin of contrition

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English contricio(u)n, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin contrītiōn-, stem of contrītiō “grief,” literally, “a wearing down”; equivalent to contrite + -ion

Example Sentences

The novel’s universe is finally too faint to bear the weight of whatever message about judgment and contrition Mr. Saunders hopes to communicate.

From The Wall Street Journal

The public apology only came after the Telegraph story - but we don't know what contrition had been expressed internally.

From BBC

By expressing contrition over her long history of trolling, which is how she rose to fame in the first place, Greene has been catching big headlines.

From Salon

"Far from distancing himself from his earlier extremist views, he confirms that he still holds them. Far from showing contrition, he is presenting himself as the victim of a conspiracy," he added.

From BBC

Its old meaning was an act of clemency extended by a legal authority in recognition of a convicted person’s contrition and commitment to reform.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• humiliation
• penance
• penitence
• remorse
• repentance
• sorrow