Lenten
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or suitable for Lent.
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suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager.
adjective
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(often capital) of or relating to Lent
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archaic spare, plain, or meagre
lenten fare
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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; 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.
There’s something valuable in the Christian practice of letting people determine their Lenten sacrifices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
That didn’t include the readers who reached out to me after I wrote a column about Mami’s capirotada — Mexican Lenten bread pudding.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2024
I had stumbled onto a family's Lenten fish fry.
From Salon • Apr. 1, 2023
Today, while churches remain a mainstay of Lenten fish fries, fire departments give them a run for their money — of which there is lots at play.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2023
The nun’s face was blanched out like Lenten candlewax.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
