of, relating to, or suitable for Lent.
suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager.
(often capital) of or relating to Lent
archaic spare, plain, or meagre
lenten fare
archaic cold, austere, or sombre
a lenten lover
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This insight reminds me of a Lenten devotional piece by Jesuit Rick Ganz, who discloses what motivates repentance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
It also marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2024
"We should all continue praying for our Pope Francis this Lenten season. Let us include him in our prayers, as we pray for our loved ones who are sick," parish priest Reynante Tolentino said.
From Reuters • Apr. 2, 2023
I had stumbled onto a family's Lenten fish fry.
From Salon • Apr. 1, 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.
