Lenten
adjective
of, relating to, or suitable for Lent.
Lenten
American
[len-tn]
/ ˈlɛn tn /
Or
lenten
adjective
-
of, relating to, or suitable for Lent.
-
suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager.
lenten
British
/ ˈlɛntən /
adjective
-
(often capital) of or relating to Lent
-
archaic spare, plain, or meagre
lenten fare
-
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:
There’s something valuable in the Christian practice of letting people determine their Lenten sacrifices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
It allowed me to sing hallelujah in the Lenten season,” referring to the run-up to Easter.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025
Last week, Francis coughed repeatedly as he presided over Ash Wednesday services at a Roman church, and opted not to participate in the traditional procession that inaugurates the church’s Lenten season.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Fasting and avoiding meat could hamper some Valentine’s plans, but religious leaders told The Times that parishioners can still celebrate the day without breaking their Lenten obligations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
My faith was buttressed by a book by Jacques Maritain rather than by the experience of worship at a Lenten service with classmates or serving at some old lady’s funeral.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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
Antigrams: evangelists�evil's agents; the lenten season�none eat less then.
From Time Magazine Archive
The lenten landscapes of Puvis are not merely scenic backgrounds, but integral parts of the general decorative web, and they are not conceived in No Man's Land, but selected from the vicinity of Paris.
From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by Huneker, James
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.
